Purple Thursday with Albertus students 
MAATC graduate students facilitate art therapy project
This month the Student Services department at Albertus Magnus College spread awareness for Domestic Violence across campus, encouraging all students, faculty, and staff to wear their favorite shade of purple in solidarity for the cause. Numerous activities were planned on campus for October’s “Purple Thursday”.
Hear more about the importance of this cause from Kelsey Alexander, Coordinator for Prevention of Gender-Based Violence at Albertus Magnus College.
It goes by many names. Intimate partner violence. Relationship violence. Domestic violence. All of us – whether we know it or not – know someone who has been harmed by their partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, or significant other. Albertus is entering its second year of a three-year grant from the Department of Justice to improve our prevention and response efforts for intimate partner violence, and if you were on campus in October, it’s likely you saw some of this prevention work in action. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and there were several events at Albertus to commemorate and raise awareness about domestic violence, which is a very real problem for college students.
In early October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month overlaps with Hispanic Heritage Month. To highlight the important contributions of the Latinx community to fighting against intimate partner violence and the laws and institutions that have allowed intimate partner violence to persist in many communities, the Office of Campus Activities, in collaboration with Albertus’ Art Club, created a table display of Latinx activists and domestic violence resources in Spanish.
Members of the women’s soccer team, swimming and diving team, and Resident Assistants participated in creating a display of red flags and green flags on the lawn outside of Bree Common. Students wrote the warning signs of an unhealthy romantic relationship on red flags, and positive qualities of a healthy relationship on green flags. A few red flags students came up with: “guilt tripping,” “manipulation,” and “not being able to trust.” A few green flags: “open communication,” “patience and support,” and “respecting each other.”
October 24th was Purple Thursday, the culminating event of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Purple is the awareness color for intimate partner violence, so students, staff, and faculty were encouraged to wear purple, get a purple ribbon from Student Services, and to gather for a group picture.
In the evening, over thirty students gathered for “Reflect, Revive, Restore”, an event in collaboration with Breakwater and the Masters of Art Therapy program. Participants wrote positive, affirming quotes or song lyrics on strips of paper, and decorated quote jars to put them in. This event provided a space for folks to practice some self-care, which is crucial not only for survivors of intimate partner violence, but for all college students.
Keep your eyes open for more events in the coming months to build skills to prevent intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking!
About Kelsey Alexander
Kelsey Alexander (she/her/hers) has been with Albertus since February 2019. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of young people to end violence in our communities and world. She lives in Middletown, CT with her girlfriend and their two cats, and loves hiking, cooking vegetarian feasts, dancing, and going to concerts. She is finishing a Master of Public Health degree in May of 2020.