Recovery Funds Support North Dakota’s Valley City State University

Campus Violence Intervention Advocate

Abused Persons Outreach Center, Inc., (APOC) of Valley City has offered and provided services to Valley City State University (VCSU) for the last 25 years.  Both organizations felt that there was a strong need to place a Campus Advocate on site at VCSU.  With Recovery Act STOP funding, APOC was able to hire a Campus Violence Intervention Advocate, Karla.  Karla had been a volunteer with APOC on their 24-hour crisis line, and already received training on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking, so was able to initiate the program immediately.   

As a result of the presence of the Campus Violence Intervention Advocate, the collaboration between APOC and VCSU has grown substantially.  One example of this collaboration is with the Business Information Technology students.  These students helped increase staff and student awareness of the new services and office now located on campus.  Together they developed a brochure that offers information about available services and a general tear-off flyer, which they posted on every bulletin board on campus.  They also created a web page that is available to students and staff through the VCSU web site.  One student created a PowerPoint presentation for all dorm resident assistants, and another student offered to create a Facebook page that provides information about the Campus Intervention Office and APOC. During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, APOC hosted the Clothesline Project in the VCSU Student Center.  The Editor of the Valley City Times Record visited the display, and subsequently published a full front page article on APOC, the new office on campus, and the Clothesline Project.  APOC believes that this media exposure raised awareness, and, shortly after, their first campus VCSU client, Monica*, came to the campus office. 

Monica was a full-time student who was being abused by her husband of one year.  She had no support from her family and, not wanting to tell friends, had no support from them, either.  She sought help from the Campus Violence Intervention office because she was looking for a way out of the abuse.  She needed and wanted someone that she could talk to about what was happening and help her understand what options were available to her.  Karla through APOC’s VCSU office was able to do that for Monica. 

Working together, Monica and the advocate looked for a place for her to live.  With APOC’s help, she was able to get on the top of the housing list, and moved into her own apartment within two weeks.  During this time she also made the decision to file for divorce.  Later, Monica personally delivered a thank you to Karla.  Karla was amazed at the way Monica appeared; she was looking at a different woman because Monica’s stress and fear were now gone.

*Not her real name.