Contact Program Contact Angel Walk/Take Back the Night Student Activities (765) 455-9203 Media Contact Anne-Marie Damler OCM (765) 455-9468 adamler@iuk.edu Mary Ellen Stephenson OCM (765) 455-9414 mestephe@iuk.edu

Students rally against dark night of domestic violence

Hundreds of Indiana University Kokomo students will march north of campus on the evening of April 25, to call attention to the issues of domestic and sexual violence. Twelve campus walking teams will join community participants in the third annual Angel Walk, which raises funds for and awareness of local domestic violence services offered by the Family Service Association (FSA) of Howard County, Inc.

Before and after the 6 p.m. walk, the public is invited to IU Kokomo’s Alumni Hall to see student-produced posters, artwork, and other projects, all tied to class exploration of domestic violence issues. Musical entertainment and refreshments will be offered.

Criminal Justice Association President Jeanie Savage said her student organization formed a team “to let everyone—not just women—know that there are places they can go to get help. . . . Something needs to be done to try to prevent people from being abused in any form.” Additional teams are being sponsored by Phi Sigma Sigma, International Student Organization, Medical Imaging Club, Nurses Christian Fellowship, Orientation Leaders, and The Correspondent staff, as well as students in two education courses, three Freshmen Learning Community sections, and two nursing courses.

Students who have experienced domestic violence personally or through acquaintances suggested the campus get involved with Angel Walk, said Aimee Ash, coordinator of student activities. IU Kokomo’s American Democracy Project committee proposed adding elements of Take Back the Night (TBTN), the international college-based movement of rallies that protest violence against women. FSA Director Don Ridenour said his agency “shares TBTN’s goals of stopping violence as a much better solution than solely helping victims deal with the lifelong aftermath of victimization.” IU Kokomo’s partnership will more than double Angel Walk’s previous participation and results, he added. “IU Kokomo brings an audience of faculty, students, and staff and a wealth of resources for reaching that audience and the greater community.”

The agency/campus collaboration will continue to grow, Ridenour said, as students work with FSA on service learning projects. He praised the Spanish II students at IU Kokomo who have translated portions of several FSA brochures into Spanish. “FSA receives many requests for services from and for non-English speaking people and particularly for Hispanics as that population grows in Howard and surrounding counties,” Ridenour said. “We want to welcome these people to our services with the same warmth as we do the English-speaking population. Fortunately for FSA, IU Kokomo has the resources to help us do this.”

A videography class has prepared a 20-minute video that Ridenour will use to promote FSA programs. Education majors are offering on-site tutoring to children living at the FSA domestic violence shelter, and plan to refurbish a playroom there, supplying it with educational games and toys. Student in a women’s studies course have interviewed FSA clients and will document their stories on a specially constructed Web site.

Future student involvement could include nursing students teaching basic self-care to clients or criminal justice students helping with advocacy with the courts and prosecutor’s office,” Ridenour said. “Victims often have a difficult time understanding and obtaining protective orders, for instance. While our staff provides this help, we are often stretched very thin, and volunteers and student interns could be of considerable help.”

A long-time advocate in addressing issues of domestic violence, IU Kokomo Chancellor Ruth Person will take part in opening remarks preceding the Angel Walk at 5:30 p.m. Chancellor Person sees Angel Walk/Take Back the Night as a tremendous opportunity to encourage students to civic engagement and responsibility. “What better way to help them prepare for the future than through a real-world experience with a critical social issue and its potential solutions?” she said.

For more information on Angel Walk/Take Back the Night, contact the Office of Student Activities at (765) 455-9203.

Lecturer Kimberlie Colson, top left, coached these Spanish II students in translating brochures for the Family Service Association’s domestic violence programs. Students are, clockwise from top, Melissa Dwight, Pam Tina, Dinah Milledge, Dana Mangifico, Tricia Reagan, and JonRoss Noble.

Phi Sigma Sigma representative Victoria Sarjeant poses with Family Service Association Director Don Ridenour. Sarjeant holds a drawing of hands that the sorority will sell as a fundraiser for Angel Walk. Donors sign the drawings, which will be attached to a banner that Phi Sigma members will carry in the walk.

Janel Rawls of Kokomo works on a Styrofoam figure depicting the concept of fear. It will be among the student work to be displayed and auctioned at the post-walk rally at IU Kokomo.

Jim Dean of Bunker Hill works on a pair of clay figures depicting the concept of fear. It will be among the student work to be displayed and auctioned at the post-walk rally at IU Kokomo.