2009.08.24 > For Immediate Release
contact: Wendy Townley - University Relations
phone: 402.554.2762 - email: wtownley@unomaha.edu

Voices Against Violence Raises Awareness with BBQ and ‘The Waitress’

Omaha - Sexual violence is a serious campus and public health issue. Some statistics estimate one in four college-age women have suffered some type of intimate partner violence. Add the risk of binge drinking and the chance of becoming a victim increases.

The members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Voices Against Violence Task Force, in partnership with the Omaha YWCA, have initiated an ongoing campaign to educate the campus on intimate partner violence.

To do this, the task force will hold a “Back-to-School BBQ” and an outdoor viewing of the film “The Waitress” on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Maverick Village. The event features free hot dogs, chips, soda and pie to carry the theme of the film. The 2007 film features Keri Russell as an abused young wife and waitress who wants to enter a pie-baking contest to win enough money to leave her husband.

After the film, organizers will host a brief discussion moderated by a YWCA staff member, along with a drawing for an iPod and other prizes.

One way to reach college students is to sponsor fun, interactive events that both educate and entertain in getting the message across that violence -- in any form -- is unacceptable, said Marcia Adler, director of Student Health Services

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, 32 percent of college students report dating violence by a previous partner and 21 percent by a current partner.

“Students, faculty, staff, colleagues, family and friends -- we all know someone whose life has been affected by intimate partner violence even if they have not had the voice to tell us,” said Marti Rosen-Atherton, director of the UNO Counseling Center. “There can be so much power in awareness and education.”

As members of the Voices Against Violence Task Force, Adler and Rosen-Atherton said the initiative seeks to create a campus culture that makes violence unacceptable and to make UNO a safe place to live, learn and work. The group's mission is to initiate a cohesive and unified response to sexual violence incidents and provide strategies to educate bystanders.

The task force has enlisted the help of Maverick Solutions, the UNO student public relations firm, to plan and promote the event. The firm, sponsored by the School of Communication, has created a series of ads, public service announcements and other informational pieces.

For more information, contact Jill Sauser, Maverick Solutions, at (402) 515-3557 or jill.a.sauser@gmail.com.

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The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The celebration recognizes the partnership among the City of Omaha, its citizens and UNO to build a vibrant and dynamic community. The centennial theme is UNO: Central To Our City Since 1908. This theme acknowledges the past contributions of UNO to the community and sets the stage for great things to come. UNO, inaugurated in 1968, emerged from the Municipal University of Omaha, established in 1931, which grew out of the University of Omaha founded in 1908. For Centennial information, go to www.unomaha.edu/100/.