Officials warn against dating violence

By: Erin Wood

Posted: 10/4/07

Domestic or dating violence is a serious issue on college campuses. There are several different types of dating violence which affect college students, both men and women.

"Domestic violence - also called relationship or dating violence, intimate partner violence and spousal abuse - is pervasive in our society and college students, like the rest of society, are affected by it," said Merna Jacobsen, interim director of the Women's Resource Center.

The highest rate of intimate partner violence is among women ages 16-24 and approximately 32 percent of college students are victims of domestic violence.

It is important for college students to be educated about it, Jacobsen said.

"You want to be informed about the resources at the University and in the community so you can get yourself out of an abusive situation or be supportive of someone who is in one," she said.

Domestic Violence Awareness month is a time for educators and students to discuss relationship violence and what it means.

October is a time for students to recognize that domestic or relationship violence is a problem and that there are resources available to help those in need, said Sgt. Allan Baron.

"This awareness campaign also gives agencies from the University and the local community the opportunity to bring to light the many issues that surround domestic violence, the available resources and remember the many individuals who have been victims of domestic violence," Baron said.

Domestic or dating violence can be divided into three categories: sexual, physical and emotional.

Sexual violence can include sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse. As defined by Texas A&M Student Rules, "sexual assault is the oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by a sexual organ of another or anal-vaginal penetration by any means against the victim's will or without his/her consent."

A person is unable to give consent if they are unconscious, incapacitated or unaware. Physical force, intentional impairment and threats are several types of force used in sexual assault.

"In the college environment, a great percentage of non-stranger assaults involve alcohol," Jacobsen said. "It is important for students to understand that if one's judgment is impaired, a person cannot give consent."

Although many people picture a stranger as a perpetrator of a sexual assault, a high percentage of sexual assault victims are attacked by people in their family or by people they know.

According to the 1997 Bureau of Justice Statistics, 75 percent of all rape victims are attacked by an acquaintance, family member or intimate partner. This factor is what makes sexual assault such a serious issue in domestic violence.

Sexual abuse is a type of sexual violence. It is attempting or making sexual contact against a person's will or when a person is unable to give consent. Similar to rape, many victims do not report their attacks.

Physical abuse is another form of relationship violence. The Feminist Majority Foundation said that battered women account for 15 to 30 percent of emergency room visits.

According to Texas A&M Student Rules, physical abuse is "any attempt to cause injury or inflict pain; or causing injury or inflicting pain. Also causing physical contact with another when the person knows or should reasonably believe that the other will regard the contact as offensive or provocative. It is not a defense that the person (or group) against whom the physical abuse was directed consented to, or acquiesced to, the physical abuse."

Unfortunately, many victims of abuse stay with their partner for emotional reasons, physical or psychological coercion, and/or financial stability.

Stalking is a type of emotional abuse that sometimes leads to physical violence, and can occur in any gender combination.

Stalking is interpreted based on the victim rather than the intention of the actor. It is any repeated conduct that causes a person to fear for his/her safety. This could include following, threatening, or intimidating another person or that person's family.

According to a 1998 survey from Stalking in America, more than one million women and 370,000 men are stalked in the U.S. and 77 percent of female and 64 percent of male victims know their stalker.

Some important ways to prevent stalking are to pay attention to obsessive or possessive behaviors in the people they date and to make a clean break when breaking up with a partner rather than leading them on.

Verbal abuse such as threats of violence, intimidation, insults and put downs can also be a type of emotional domestic violence. Other behaviors such as economic deprivation, controlling money and other economic resources, or controlling a person's social interaction are part of domestic violence.

Master Officer Kristi Hosea said that the most dominant forms of dating violence involving A&M students are stalking, psychological manipulation, sexual assault, emotional roller coasters and physical abuse. "It is all about power and control," she said.

"While we work to create a strong sense of community and unity, any city the size of Bryan/College Station and any campus of our size is going to have a certain level of relationship violence," Jacobsen said. "Students have to be part of the solution. Be informed about the warning signs of relationship violence. Heed warnings and follow safety rules. Attend educational programs. Be smart."