The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County will be hosting a free event at Howard Community College on Feb 19th about preventing dating violence.

Topics will include:

• Effects on health and academic achievement
• Dating and campus life
• Men and Boys taking action to end violence

Free refreshments will be provided... folks pre-registered will be eligible for prize drawings.

Every January, we as a community acknowledge the need for awareness and education related to stalking. While we often joke about "facebook stalking," the fact is that stalking isn't a joke and can be a very scary experience for victims and their families. Please read the proclamation below for more information.
Additionally, be sure to check out UMBC's Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention website for more information on stalking and other forms of interpersonal violence.

If you need support from campus members related to a stalking incident, please contact a member from the SARVRT team. For more information from the Stalking Resource Center: http://www.victimsofcrime.org/

Presidential Proclamation -- National Stalking Awareness Month, 2013
NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH, 2013
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Each year, millions of Americans face the fear, isolation, and danger of being victims of stalking. At some point in their lives, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men will be stalked, and many of these crimes will go unreported and unprosecuted. During National Stalking Awareness Month, we rededicate ourselves to supporting victims of stalking and sharpen our resolve to bring perpetrators to justice.

Stalking is a pattern of unwanted contact that causes victims to fear for their safety or the safety of family members. It can include implied or explicit threats; harassment; or nonconsensual communication through phone calls, text messages, or emails. The perpetrator is usually someone the victim knows. Stalking behaviors may appear innocuous to outside observers, but victims often endure intense physical and emotional distress that affects every aspect of their lives. Many feel forced to move, or change jobs. Tragically, stalking tends to escalate over time, and it is sometimes followed by sexual assault or homicide.

My Administration remains committed to building a robust criminal justice response to stalking -- one that holds offenders accountable, offers protection and support to all victims of violence, and empowers them to break the cycle of abuse. In January 2012, we held the first-ever White House stalking roundtable with survivors, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and researchers. We have built partnerships with communities across the Nation to implement anti-stalking efforts. And we continue to support nonprofit organizations and local, State, and tribal governments as they develop more effective responses to violence against women -- including direct services, crisis intervention, transitional housing, legal assistance to victims, court improvement, and training for law enforcement and courts.

We are also working to address the threat of cyberstalking. While advances in technology are making this crime more prevalent, they can also pose unique opportunities to address it. Communities are developing new tools that help connect victims to local services, and State governments are updating statutes to further protect people from cyberstalking. Through our Apps Against Abuse challenge, my Administration recognized mobile applications that are empowering people to defend themselves against dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Thanks to the dedicated work of law enforcement officials, community leaders, advocates, organizations, and survivors, our country has made great strides in combating stalking. During National Stalking Awareness Month, we resolve to keep building on this momentum until no American lives in fear of this crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2013 as National Stalking Awareness Month. I call upon all Americans to recognize the signs of stalking, acknowledge stalking as a serious crime, and urge those impacted not to be afraid to speak out or ask for help. Let us also resolve to support victims and survivors, and to create communities that are secure and supportive for all Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

General Description:

UMBC Relationship Violence Prevention Advocates are UMBC community members who: a) are able to provide relationship/dating/intimate partner violence prevention information to their community networks, b) observe the UMBC community and take notice of and report community issues related to relationship violence to advocate trainers, c) encourage bystander intervention techniques within UMBC community network, d) make appropriate referrals, e) provide helpful resource information to UMBC community network and individuals, f) support violence prevention efforts on campus.

1. Attend training on January 27, 2013 from 3pm-8pm
2. Attend the following Friday meetings at noon- February 8, 15, 22; March 1, 8, 15; April 5, 19 and May 3.
3. Share educational information with the advocate’s network of friends, colleagues, student organizations, team members, etc.

APPLICATIONS ,BRIEF CONVERSATIONAL INTERVIEWS AND DECISIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED, HELD AND MADE ON A ROLLING BASIS BETWEEN December 7, 2012 AND January 16, 2013

Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Women

Are you eligible for the Charlotte Newcombe Scholarship and the UMBC Scholarship for returning students? You must answer YES to the following questions to be eligible.

·         Are you a student 25 years old or older?

·         Are you working toward your first undergraduate degree?

·         Are you enrolled for fall and/or spring classes?

·         Have you earned at least 60 credits?

·         Do you have at least a 2.5 GPA?

·         Are you in financial need?

·         Are you willing to attend group meetings and/or contact meetings that are designed to help support you as a mature women?

If so... feel free to download an application. This application is only for the Spring 2013 semester and only for those who are currently not Newcombe Scholars. For questions, feel free to contact Jess in the Women's Center or at jessm@umbc.edu.

Deadline: Wednesday, November 28, 2012