WT Marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Silent Witnesses, Information Fair

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University is hoping some silent figures will speak volumes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

For at least a fifth year, about a dozen Silent Witness cutouts have been placed around the Canyon campus, each one bearing a placard telling the story of a victim of domestic violence, as well as a card describing other forms of abusive behavior.

“Domestic violence is at an epidemic level,” said Kathy Tortoreo, director of crisis services for Family Support Services. “The latest statistics show that 1 in 4 women have been the victim of physical violence by an intimate partner, and college-age adults, the 18 to 24 demographic, are at a higher risk than people in other age brackets.”

WT’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities also will include an information fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14 on the Charles K. and Barbara Kerr Vaughn Pedestrian Mall, held in conjunction with Family Support Services of Amarillo.

“The Silent Witnesses are great visual reminders of what can go wrong in relationships and are important ways to educate students on what healthy relationships look like,” said Georganna Ecker, director of WT’s Civil Rights and Title IX Department.

Silent Witnesses are on display outside the UPD offices, the Title IX office and the University bookstore; on the fourth floor of Old Main; and inside the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall, human resources and the Dining Hall. Three are rotated between WT’s residence hall throughout the month.

“We put them in very visible places. We want them to be where there’s traffic so that people will stop and look at them,” said Lt. Barbara Ferrara, head of WT’s University Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. “Our hope is that the facts will stick in their minds and that they’ll report something that’s happening to them or if they see something happening to someone else.”

Family Support Services will post awareness messages frequently during October on its Facebook page, as most in-person events have been curtailed during the ongoing pandemic. Amarillo-area residents can walk a mile against domestic violence on Oct. 24 and are encouraged to post photos on social media to boost awareness.

In the 2019-20 academic year, the Title IX office received 13 reports of dating or domestic violence. Thus far in the 2020-21 academic year, six reports have been received. In April, YourLocalSecurity.com recognized WT as the safest school in Texas and in the Top 10 of the nation.

Serving students is a key component of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. With enrollment of more than 10,000, WT offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 38 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 15 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—