University of Kentucky - VIP Center
 

violence intervention and prevention center

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Welcome to the VIP Center

vip centertraining links

VIP Center Training Links - How you can get involved now!

• Please utilize the following link: VIP Center UK101 to access the UK101 video training module.

How You Can Get Involved Now!

Getting involved with the VIP Center is the best way possible to be a part of a massive social change effort to make our campus safer! We need every student at UK to be a part of this movement. To help end sexual and physical violence and stalking‚ consider one or both of these training opportunities:

Green Dot Slam (our version of volunteer orientation) is a spoken word event for volunteers of the VIP Center designed to awaken minds‚ foster education‚ inspire action‚ stimulate creativity‚ and engage communities and individuals to stand up and speak out for safety. Attend one of the Slams and learn about the VIP Center and all the opportunities we have for you. Sessions happen on request. So‚ stop by or email us to let us know you are interested and we can schedule a “Slam” around your schedule. Email Ryan at ryan.wagoner@uky.edu for more information. Sessions are for 50 minutes at the VIP Center in Frazee Hall.

SEEDS (Students Educating and Empowering to Develop Safety) SEEDS are the leaders and catalysts of our cultural shift toward safety for every student and true intolerance of all forms of violence. They are highly trained students who go back to their friends‚ their classes and their other organizations and use their knowledge‚ peer influence and skills to impact one individual at a time until UK is the safest campus in the country. To become a SEED‚ register at our SEEDS Interest Form, or if you have questions, email Sally Evans at sally.evans@uky.edu.

what'syour green dot?

What's Your Green Dot?

Visualize for a moment that unforgettable image of small red-dots spreading across a computer generated map of the United States‚ symbolizing the spread of some terrible epidemic - with each tiny red dot representing an individual case. With disturbing speed‚ the three or four single dots multiply and spread until the whole map emits a red glow comprised of a zillion tiny dots.

Now imagine for a moment a map of UK. Each red dot on this map represents an act of violence (physical assault‚ sexual assault or stalking) - or a choice to tolerate‚ justify or perpetuate this violence. A red dot is a rape - a red dot is a hit - a red dot is a threat - a red dot is a “blame the victim” statement - a red dot is an individual choice to do nothing in the face of a high risk situation. Violence against women at the University of Kentucky is not a huge‚ solid mass that can simply be removed with one swift action or policy. Rather‚ it is the accumulation of individual decisions‚ moments‚ values‚ and actions made by the students‚ staff‚ faculty and administration of our university. It’s hard to know exactly how many red dots are on our map at any given moment - but we do know there have been enough red dots to create a culture that sustains a rate of 36.5% of women becoming victims of physical assault and/or sexual assault and/or stalking while they are students at UK. Violence is not limited to women‚ but impacts members of our community of both sexes and every race‚ background‚ sexual orientation‚ religious or political persuasion‚ socio-economic status and ability.

Now imagine adding a green dot in the middle of all those red dots on our UK map. Imagine that a green dot is any behavior‚ choice‚ word‚ or attitude that promotes safety and communicates utter intolerance for violence. A green dot is pulling our friend out of a high risk situation - a green dot is responding to a victim blaming statement with words of support - a green dot is volunteering a few hours at the VIP Center - a green dot is attending a MAVAR@UK meeting - a green dot is becoming a SEED or bringing a safety program to your group. A green dot is simply your individual choice at any given moment to make our campus safer.

How many green dots will it take to begin reducing violence on our campus? How many of us need to add 2 or 3 or 7 or 50 dots to this map to begin to make a difference and begin to outshine and displace those red dots? We cannot know the exact number‚ but we do know this: if most of us choose inaction - if most of us choose to close our eyes to this issue - if most of us choose apathy and indifference - then the red dots stand! If we do not begin replacing moments of violence and victim blaming with moments of support and safety‚ then we will surely continue to have more than 1 in 3 women become victims of violence. That is not OK. That must not be OK with any of us.

• Volunteer at VIP Center
• Become a SEED
• Speak up when you hear victim-blaming
• Treat women with respect
• Understand that men can be victims of violence too
• Be a knowledgeable resource for victims
• Look out for friends at parties and bars and other high risk situations
• Educate yourself and your friends
• Use campus resources
• Believe that violence against women is unacceptable and say it out loud
• Empower women to tell their stories
• Empower men to tell their stories
• Challenge the men in your life to confront men’s violence against women

Image: President and Mrs. Todd promoting the Greed Dot Safety Initiative with student volunteer Krista King and the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center Director Dorothy Edwards.

your voiceyour choice

Your Voice Your Choice

The Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center is heading into its third year with incredible momentum! Men and women from all over campus are joining together with an unwavering determination to dramatically reduce the perpetration of violence within our campus community. It’s time to decide how you are going to use your voice. There are countless ways to get involved - and no acceptable excuse not to. Whether you have one hour to give or a weekly commitment‚ your support is vital. IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE‚ check out the SEEDS program‚ which is our innovative approach to peer education. If you are looking for an opportunity to meet other students with a similar commitment to social change and are willing to pitch in around the office (or just hang out and drink coffee)‚ consider dropping by the VIP Center to volunteer‚ hang out or pitch a new idea or program. How about doing an internship or practicum placement with us or serving on one of countless programming committees? If you want to make a contribution‚ but just don’t have time to spare‚ find out how you can be a part of creating campus change through our Green Dot campaign. Creating change requires each of us to step up. We’ll look forward to hearing from you.

recyclingfor charity

Recycling for Charity

The VIP Center collects used cell phones‚ ink cartridges‚ MP3 players‚ and digital cameras for recycling through Recycling for Charities. (http://www.recyclingforcharities.com). Funds raised for VIP through this program are used to support student services and programs. If you are interested in donating items or hosting a VIP donation box in your department or office‚ give us a call at (859) 257-3574 or email sally.evans@uky.edu.

contactinformation

Contact Information

Violence, Intervention and Prevention Center
106 Frazee Hall
Lexington‚ KY 40506–0031
(859) 257-3574 or (859) 257-3564
Fax (859) 323–3646

In case of emergency or for after–hours support:

• UK or Lexington police: 911 or #UKPD from your cell phone
• Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center: 1–800–656–HOPE
• Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program: 1–800–544–2022

 

Mission Statement: Eliminate power-based personal violence - including sexual violence‚ physical assault and stalking.