If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship violence, sexual violence, stalking or any other form of interpersonal violence and are in need of advocacy services, the NC State Women’s Center has trained advocates available to offer crisis intervention, emotional support, resources and referrals. Students can contact the 24/7 Sexual Assault Helpline at 919-515-4444 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment with an advocate.
Advocacy services through the NC State Women’s Center are available for all students inclusive of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
For more information on advocacy services, please visit go.ncsu.edu/supportsurvivors. If you would like to talk to a confidential resource, you can also connect with the NC State Counseling Center at 919-515-2423. You may also visit go.ncsu.edu/safe for additional information on resources and reporting options.
The Women’s Center is kicking off Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a variety of events to empower and provide safe spaces for survivors of interpersonal violence.
On April 13 at 6 p.m., the Women’s Center will hold their annual Take Back the Night event. Take Back the Night focuses on providing resources, community and a safe area for students to protest sexual assault and violence.
Fiona Prestemon, the president of The Movement Peer Educators and a fourth-year studying psychology, said the Women’s Center worked to make Take Back The Night a place for students to protest against the normalization of sexual violence on college campuses.
“We will be having a resource fair in Talley lobby starting at 6 p.m., followed by a rally around 6:30 p.m.,” Prestemon said. “We will march around campus, followed by a survivor speak-out in which survivors can share their experiences and talk about how interpersonal violence has affected them. There will be on-site counselors as well.”
Dr. Kaelie Giffel is the assistant director for Interpersonal Violence Prevention, Education, and Training at NC State and also oversees the Movement Peer Educators. They said there are several themes that Take Back The Night covers.
“The theme of Take Back the Night is essentially that there is an unequal distribution of pleasure and freedom in the world, and that sexual violence is a direct attack on people’s freedom and their pleasure and their sexuality,” Griffel said. “As you take back the night, it’s a real moment for us to manifest some of the things that we’ve been really thinking about all month as a community, which is how do we see them as survivors.”
In addition to speak-out events, The Women’s Center is exploring low-key, arts-based therapeutic workshops for students in April. The center will host Crafting and Connecting two Tuesdays during the month on April 18 and April 25, along with a Survivor Expressive Arts Therapy workshop on April 11 at 1 p.m.
The Women’s Center encourages all survivors of sexual assault and interpersonal violence to not hesitate to use the center as a resource for support. Kelsie Johnson, a Women’s Center employee and second-year studying communication, said the Women’s Center is a great support system for anyone seeking a safe space on campus.
“The Women’s Center always stands by girls supporting girls,” Johnson said. “We have a diverse group of people and everyone is so supportive. … The center is open everyday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
A survivor fund is also offered through the Women’s Center for those seeking financial support to get them through hardships.
“If people are looking for monetary support, or even just physical support on court dates, we have the survivor fund for that, which is a really amazing resource we offer,” Hernandez said.
The Women’s Center will hold an IPV in the South Asian Community workshop on April 12 at 6 p.m. The Clothesline Project will also be on display until the end of the month at different campus centers, showcasing T-shirts made by survivors of interpersonal violence at NC State.
For more information on the Women’s Center, check out their calendar, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
