In two minutes, you can get a coffee from the CUB, run frantically to an advising meeting or wait anxiously for your Friday class to end.

In the same two minutes, an American is sexually assaulted.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) shares this statistic and more on its website.

Because of numbers like these, the Shippensburg University Women’s Center adopted the NO MORE campaign in April 2014 to physically show the campus that SU is against domestic violence and sexual assault.

NO MORE is a national campaign that strives to raise awareness and put a stop to domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Women’s Center and individual groups on campus show their support by organizing events to educate people about these issues. In honor of domestic violence awareness month, several events were held throughout October.

A tulip planting ceremony was hosted by the Women’s Center on Oct. 8, during which passers-by could write encouraging messages on paper flowers. These flowers now hang in the Women’s Center in Horton Hall.

A pink flower reads, “So that no one will ever hurt my best friend again.”

One in two women and one in five men have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lives, according to nomore.org.

College campuses can be a dangerous place for men and women, and the Women’s Center strives to prevent students, faculty and staff from becoming a statistic.

“We want to help everyone that is touched by this,” Stephanie Erdice, the director of the Women’s Center, said.

Help will be given to anyone who comes to the Women’s Center in Horton Hall 132. The Women’s Center gives victims options, but lets the decision come down to the individual. If a victim does not want to file a report the Women’s Center will not force them to do so, Erdice said.

Two women who experienced violence came to Orndorff Theater to share their stories of abuse.

Co-authors Nancy Chavez and Lynn Shiner visited SU on Oct. 16 to speak about their book, “Stabbed in the Heart — Three Murdered Children, Two Resilient Mothers.”

According to thehotline.org, “the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect suggests that domestic violence may be the single major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in this country.”

In conjunction with a class, students from the social work department spent two days raising money for a domestic violence shelter in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Seniors Dorothy Andrews, Chelsea Belles, Emmie Burke, Lena Delfin and Taylor Weisman sold bubbles and lollipops to reach a goal of $100 for the shelter.

They also encouraged students to take a stand against domestic violence by marking a tally on a purple banner or writing a message on behalf of victims.

“A lot of us know people who have gone through it,” Delfin said of domestic violence, “It’s close to our hearts.”

The Women’s Center is also hosting a NO MORE photo contest until Oct. 31 for anyone to participate in by taking a photo to take a stand against domestic violence and sexual assault.

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