The Washburn Student Government Association declared October as Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.
“I want to continue to bring awareness to mental health,” said Kory Mcfan, freshman criminal justice and legal studies major.
Mcfan serves as a senator for WSGA and wrote the resolution about Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. He recognized domestic abuse as a serious issue that has affected college students across the nation and wanted to bring awareness to Washburn University.
Bella Wood, vice president of WSGA, was present at the meeting and explained how domestic abuse can be overwhelming to deal with alone.
“If you are experiencing it, please reach out to folks. We want to help you. We want to support you in whatever way that looks like,” Wood said.
WSGA hosted an art expression event Thursday, Oct. 17, for people to get away and relax through artistic self-expression and acted as a reminder for domestic abuse victims that they are not alone.
Domestic abuse is a serious issue that happens more than most people think. It’s important to bring awareness to this issue and provide resources for victims and survivors. One organization that makes help available is the YWCA.
“We [at the YWCA] have the 24-hour phone hotline and we do case management, emergency shelter, court advocacy, all kinds of things… even as far as food pantry, clothing pantry, things like that,” said Chamiel Thompson, graduate teaching assistant.
Thompson works as a text-to-chat hotline advocate for the YWCA and support specialist for residential living at Washburn.
The community has helped so many people in difficult situations. WSGA wanted to bring awareness to Washburn so that college students who have been victims of domestic violence and feel like no one is there for them have people to reach out to. It can be a difficult and lonely time, but it doesn’t have to be. There are options and resources available on Washburn’s campus.
“On campus, specifically, there are Counseling Services,” Thompson said, “and then we have the Psychological Services Clinic on campus where I am a student therapist.”
Washburn and Topeka have resources available for anyone suffering from domestic violence to use and receive help from. Domestic violence shouldn’t be handled alone.
Edited by Stuti Khadka and Morgan Albrecht
