Domestic Violence Awareness signs and shades of purple were seen all around campus last month. Why is that so important? Well, not only is it Domestic Violence Awareness Month every October but, from the 9th through the 13th, the Alpha Chi Omega chapter at Carthage College brought awareness to the seriousness of this issue to Carthage, as well as other colleges (wherever their chapters may be). Because of this, I’d like to take the time to reflect on what our chapter accomplished on campus throughout Domestic Violence Awareness Month and how important it is to be aware of this cause!
Domestic Violence Awareness Month was started by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Since 1987, the main goals of this month are to mourn those who have died due to domestic violence, support the survivors, connect those who work to end domestic violence and to hopefully one day bring domestic violence to an end.
Since 1992, Alpha Chi Omega has adopted Domestic Violence Awareness as its philanthropy because of how many women it affects all over the world. Alpha Chi Omega works together in the hope to fight against unhealthy relationships and build healthier ones. Domestic violence in terms of severe physical violence affects one in four women, one in three women experience some sort of physical violence by a partner, and many women are exposed to mental abuse in relationships at some point in their life. When you look at those statistics and apply that to the 48 girls part of the Iota Omega chapter at Carthage College, that’s a possibility of 12 girls from the chapter who have gone through some sort of physical domestic violence or will at some point in their life.
Alpha Chi Omega strives on being a group of strong women who support one another and aren’t afraid to talk about touchy subjects. During Week of Hope at Carthage, our sorority hosted a variety of activities. Monday we kicked off with selling s’mores treats during the lunch period for $1. Mr. AXO is an event we held that following Tuesday night, which consisted of men around campus who showed off their talents by doing a formal wear and swimwear segment, a talent showcase, and answering questions which revolved around their character and domestic violence awareness. This was a fun and event free to students (donation boxes were optional) that not only allowed us to get involved more with our campus, but it talked about domestic violence and how important it is to seek help. Wednesday featured a kickball tournament where teams of 10 were able to play against their classmates in hopes of winning first place. Thursday ended the week with a candlelight vigil where the sorority—as well as other students, family and friends—shared personal stories about their experience with domestic violence.
Photo courtesy of Megan Maurer
Domestic violence is an issue that’s something to shed light on—it really brings awareness to how often it’s happening to so many people around us, especially considering that it isn’t always obvious. It’s important to acknowledge that this is happening within our community and to talk about the signs of domestic violence to help those who are struggling in either their current or past experiences. The more we talk about domestic violence and the more we support one another, we as a society can hope to one day end domestic violence altogether.
All of the money raised, as well as donations made throughout the week, was donated to Women’s and Children’s Horizon in Kenosha: a non-profit focused on providing help and service to those affected by domestic violence. I’m excited to announce that with all of the efforts made, we were able to raise $500 dollars! This was an exciting week for our chapter and we could not have done it without the support of our campus.
In being a part of Alpha Chi Omega I’ve been able to see the impact this sorority has first-hand; not only on myself but on so many others as well. This group of individuals really values healthy relationships and shows that by having healthy and positive relationships with each other. It’s important to encourage healthy relationships and to be aware of any signs that you or a friend is in a violent or toxic relationship so that they can seek help as soon as possible. Week of Hope gives our sorority the opportunity to do all of this. Like Megan Marfilius, a senior at Carthage, says, “Week of Hope is really focused on spreading awareness in the most positive way as possible. It gives our campus the ability to talk about a really serious topic and get awareness out there, but still have fun events.”
Thank you Carthage and to all of my sorority sisters for the wonderful support, effort and love you show every day to one another. I hope that every year we can continue to spread love and positivity with all we encounter and one day bring an end to domestic violence. This is an important topic not only myself and the chapter, but to so many people that we interact with every day. Signs to look out for within unhealthy relationships include intensity, isolation, blame, jealousy, criticism, anger, control, and sabotage. Talking about the uncomfortable topics is important because one of the first steps in ending domestic violence is acknowledging its presence and practicing healthier relationships with others, as well as knowing the signs of one that’s not.
Rep image courtesy of Megan Maurer