Name: Vinova Deniz
Year in School: Junior
Major: Today, it’s business. But that’s subject to change–
Dream Job: I want to work for any fortune 500’s corporate Social Responsibility sector
Hometown: New York, New York
Other Involvements on Campus: DePaul Community Service Association, Phi Mu Fraternity, Service Immersion Trips
In your own words, what is NO MORE? NO MORE is a campaign to end domestic violence and sexual assault by raising awareness to end the stigma that surrounds it.
Vinova and her sorority sisters hold up their NO MORE statements. Vinova is pictured holding Silence! in the bottom left corner.
Photo Courtesy: Phi Mu Fraternity, Rho Mu Chapter
Why does NO MORE matter? Um, because it’s still an issue.
What can we, as women, do to help? Um, spread the word. You say something, see something. You all know what to do, the problem is that no one feels comfortable enough to actually go out and do it.
How does it specifically affect women?
V: Well, okay, unfair question.
HC: Well, it is for Her Campus. So, we try to aim the articles toward women.
V: I mean, it’s one in every four women, but it doesn’t just affect women. It’s a nationwide, genderless issue. It can happen to anyone. It’s not like ovarian cancer, it’s not a woman thing. It’s not a biological disease, it’s a social problem.
What inspired you to create NO MORE within the DePaul community? Because it’s still an issue. Because I read the stats and I was like, “I know four women, at least.” I just didn’t think that there was enough out there. Because, it’s like, no one’s going around saying domestic violence is great. No one is saying that. But we all agree that domestic violence is bad, but no one says it. We all agree, but we don’t agree loud enough. So it doesn’t really count if no one is saying it. If you’re not hearing it, if you’re not seeing it, then to the very few people who do not realize that it’s not okay, then there’s nothing there to stop them. There’s no other way than everyone saying that this is not okay.
Where do you see NO MORE going in the future? Everywhere.
Is there anything you’d like to add that I haven’t asked you about?I think it’s a very fuzzy subject. I think there’s a lot of gray area. I think it’s hard for victims to even see themselves as victims sometimes. There’s a lot of factors that go into it. It’s not, “He beat me up so I’m breaking up with him, and reporting him.” Like, that’s their significant other, there are so many other aspects of the relationship that keep the couple together and I don’t think people understand the amount of difficulty.
The only reason I thought NO MORE was important to begin with was when I had a conversation with a lady where I tried to explain to her that I didn’t think I would be sexually assaulted ever. My mom used to joke that if someone kidnapped me, in the grocery store, that they would let me go in two minutes because I would talk and scream and they’d get sick of me, that I’m not the ideal victim. But, saying that you’re not the type of person that gets sexually assaulted is the same as saying that there are types of people who do. And that’s placing blame on the victim which is not something I even realized I was doing at the time. But saying you’re the kind of person it’s not going to happen to means that there are kinds of people that it will happen to.
It’s not a class thing, it’s not like a race thing. It doesn’t have a boundry like that. There’s a huge disconnect between a majority of America understanding that it’s one in every four women but 85% of people think that it’s none of their friends. So either the victims have no friends or we’re really confused on who this is effecting. And we shouldn’t be that confused because the answer is everybody. So, you’re going around thinking it’s not my friends, but I can’t be in a sorority with 100 women and truly believe, “Relax. It’s not us. We’ve got each other’s backs, We’re strong women, blah blah blah.” That’s not the case as much as we would wish it to be. That blew my mind when I realized I was the same person who said “Who cares, it’s not me. It’s not my friends.” Well, it could be. Because me saying that it can’t be me is the same as saying that just because someone’s not as vocal as me, they’re the type of person to be domestically or sexually abused.
Want to get more involved? Stop by the table in the Student Center from 12-6 until March 15th for more information or print the below graphic below to make your own NO MORE statement to publish on your own social media to raise awareness for NO MORE, in addition to sexual assault and domestic violence.