Rani Ban/The Falcon Andrea Steele, a programs’ assistant for the Salvation Army talks about domestic violence in Demaray Hall on Tuesday.

The issue of domestic violence is largely taboo in most Christian communities, said Andrea Steele, a 2005 SPU alumna. Steele spoke at a forum last night to raise awareness on a campus that is either ignorant of or only partially informed about violence against women.

The forum, "When is it Abuse? Understanding Intimate Partner Violence," was hosted by the gender equality club Sophia. It focused on the realities of domestic and partner violence.

"Christian universities are definitely not exempt and they need to step it up. We talk about following Christ and being peacemakers. That also includes the home. That also includes relationships," said Steele, programs' assistant for the Salvation Army Domestic Violence Programs.

"If anything, Christian universities need to be at the forefront of movements that bring about peace," Steele said.

Steele stressed that abuse happens to, and is perpetrated by, people of every social class, race, religion, and educational background.

"It could be the guy who is a crack addict who dropped out of high school. It could be the high-powered CEO," Steele said. Even pastors and spiritual leaders can be abusers, she said.

Christianity tends to have very rigid gender roles, Steele said. Texts concerning female submission can be misused to validate forms of spousal abuse, she said.

Senior Lauren Matson feels that it is good for SPU students to have discussion about where the lines are drawn between submission and abuse.

As a theology and philosophy major, Senior Lee Staman feels that the role text interpretation needs to be addressed. Many of Paul's letters can be taken out of context to promote gender inequality, he said. Staman was both flustered and frustrated with stories of pastors abusing their wives, he said. "That is not Christianity in any way, shape or form," he said.

Though physical abuse is the most common form, domestic violence can involve psychological abuse, economic control, isolation, sexual assault, verbal abuse and exploitation of children, Steele said.

There are a variety of reasons why women continue to live with their abusers, including commitment to a relationship, lack of self-confidence and economic dependency, Steele said.

Many women leave and come back repeatedly, hoping their spouse will see the error of his ways, she said. "Rarely, if ever, does an abuser change," she said.

Almost 50 percent of domestic violence homicides in Washington state happen after the victim has left his or her abuser, Steele said. "That is probably the main reason that women don't just get up and leave," she said.

Many victims simply have no place else to go, Steele said. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, in 2006 Washington state domestic violence programs gave emergency shelter to 6,147 women and children, but were forced to refuse 36,522 shelter requests due to space and funding limitations.

"It really surprised me, the amount of people that get turned away," junior Emily Warr said.

Jealousy, controlling behavior, verbal abuse and acceptance of rigid sex roles are red flags signifying a potential abusive personality, Steele said. Other red flags include blaming others for personal problems or feelings and having no respect for private property, she said.

Staman was surprised to hear that abusers often rush into committed relationships, like wanting to get married after two months. "I never made that connection before, but it made a lot of sense," he said.

The vast majority of forum attendees were female. Staman acknowledged that men may feel vilified in discussion pertaining to domestic violence.

"It is probably intimidating. They don't want to come in here and think they're going to get bashed," Staman said.

The prevailing sentiment is that, "We're good Christian men. We'll love our sisters in Christ," he said.

Men at SPU may not realize that domestic abuse is not just physical, Staman said. There are psychological and emotional abuses they must be aware of, too, he said.

Students shouldn't feel a false sense of security just because they attend a Christian university, Staman said. "Being a Christian doesn't automatically make you a better person, just because you took a couple of UFDN classes," he said.

Staman, Matson and Warr each expressed a desire to for continued awareness for violence against women. This could help students who have previously been hurt by such violence, Warr said. "People might have experiences with this in their past and its very important to have open communication to provide healing," she said.