10/12/15 rr
HAYS, Kan. -- October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Women's Leadership Project plans to educate the Fort Hays State University campus about red flags that indicate potential domestic violence.

The Women's Leadership Project, led by assistant professor of leadership studies Dr. Christie Brungardt, will bring the Red Flag Campaign to campus for the entire month of October.

"The purpose of the Red Flag Campaign is to encourage everyone to speak up when we see red flags for dating violence in relationships," said Brungardt.

According to the Association of American Universities, 27.2 percent of senior women and 5.4 percent of men reported being assaulted over the course of their college careers, and six out of 10 women reported being sexually harassed. The rate of reported sexual harassment from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students was 60.4 percent compared to 45.9 percent for heterosexuals.

The leadership project will display posters until the end of the month that feature different warning signs of possible violence in relationships: emotional abuse, jealousy, isolation, victim-blaming, stalking, sexual assault and coercion. Each poster features an example of an appropriate response from an active bystander.

The leadership project hosted a variety of events such as presentations to freshman seminars; a viewing of "The Mask You Live In," a documentary that explores modern masculinity and a Times Talk about bystander intervention.

Coming events include:

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Memorial Union Trails Room -- the Clothesline Project. Students and staff who are victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault or know someone who is a victim will decorate T-shirts that will be displayed outdoors on a clothesline. This will be a safe environment.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 1-4 p.m., Memorial Union Black and Gold Room -- Bystander Intervention Training. Participants will learn how to intervene in harmful situations.

Thursday, Oct. 29, 4:40 p.m., FHSU Quad -- Silent No More Awareness Walk. The Women's Leadership Project and the Panhellenic Council will host a walk around the Quad to raise awareness about the Red Flag Campaign. Guest speaker Sase Fleenor, Hays, will discuss the importance of bystander intervention and speaking of the red flags she experienced. In the event of inclement weather, the activities will be held in the Memorial Union's Black and Gold Room.

Brungardt said she hopes that faculty members will use the campaign as a way to engage students in the topic through class discussions, projects and student assignments.

For more information, contact Brungardt at cjbrunga@fhsu.edu of 785-628-4473.