Pepperdine Students Raise Awareness of Domestic Violence Among Young People

How would the world be different if young people pledged to never commit, condone or be a part of domestic or dating violence?

Five Pepperdine seniors recently came together to address that very question. Martine, Jenny, Claire, Cindy and Mimi worked with Interface for two months on a campaign to raise money for the Family Violence Response Team, and raise awareness of domestic violence. The core of the project involved hosting Domestic Violence Week at Pepperdine, which culminated in an evening “Convo” presentation on campus about domestic violence and spirituality, presented by Pepperdine chaplain David Lemley and Interface’s executive director Erik Sternad.

“We were all very excited when we heard that Interface would be our client,” said Martine de Gannes, Executive Director of 4/1 PR, the temporary ‘agency’ formed for their capstone project. “Our goal was to connect Interface with people in their teens and twenties, known as Generation Y or Millennials. Young people often cannot make financial contributions, but they are willing to give time and energy to projects that make a difference.”

The simplest definition of domestic violence is: a pattern of controlling behaviors that one partner uses to maintain power over another. With young people, we’re mainly talking about dating violence in a romantic or sexual context. Domestic or dating violence is rarely a one-time thing; it tends to escalate over time, and with each incident, it becomes more dangerous for the victim.

“Most young people think that domestic violence happens primarily between married couples,” Martine said. “However on average, 32% of American college students have experienced at least one incident of domestic or dating violence. That’s one out of every three students in the country! We also tend to think of domestic violence as a women’s issue, but 19% of college men reported experiencing violence. This issue touches everyone.”

There is a cycle that domestic violence follows with three distinct phases: the honeymoon phase, the tension phase, and the explosion phase. In the honeymoon phase, you might be swept off your feet by someone new, or an abuser may apologize and bring gifts. Many victims are convinced to stay in dangerous situations or abandon legal action against their partner during this phase. However, when the abuser continues to emotionally manipulate the victim, tension builds. Victims often think that as long as they keep their partner calm and happy, they will be safe. Eventually, the situation explodes and physical violence may occur. The victim waits it out, fights back, or leaves the relationship -- and the cycle is perpetuated, unless the victim seeks help.

“During our Convo presentation, we did a live survey and asked the students in the room if they had personally experienced dating violence,” Martine said. “It was disheartening to see that the percentage of Pepperdine students affected matched the national average, at 31%. That means that out of the 185 people in that room, 60 of them have directly experienced violence.”

The Convo presentation also touched on the four most common types of domestic violence (physical, verbal-emotional, sexual and stalking) and some red flags that might indicate that you or someone you know is experiencing violence. However, the goal of the Convo was to let the students know that there are many ways they can address this problem. One of the most effective ways to prevent violence is to make a safety plan with contact information for trustworthy places and people – a women’s or LGBT center, security office, dorm, library, resident advisor, hotline numbers, the police – that you can contact if you feel unsafe.

“It’s important to think about what you want in a partner, and what behaviors are non-negotiable,” Martine said. “Invite new friends or first dates to hang out with a group, or set up a safe call to check in with a friend while you’re out alone. If you witness violence happening, don’t risk your own safety, but don’t be afraid to call for help either. We need to be talking about this issue with our kids, teens and young adults alike.”

To raise awareness beyond Pepperdine, Martine and her team partnered with student-run organizations at Newbury Park High School to sell light blue wristbands promoting domestic violence awareness. They also offered the Hand Print Pledge, a booth on campus where students signed paper hand prints and added them to a large poster display as a reminder that domestic violence affects everyone.

“This project required a lot of work, but it was also very rewarding,” Martine said. “Raising awareness of an issue may sound easy, especially in the age of social media, but organizing a fundraising campaign is much more complex. Our entire group loved working with Interface; we learned so much, and their cause has become so important to all of us.”