When senior Kelsey Ryland served as a Peer Advisor (PA) for two years, she said the topic of abuse rarely came up in discussion with the women on her floors. She did not equate the lack of discussion to the idea that violence against women does not occur on the SPU campus. Rather, she saw this as a sign that something needed to be changed.

"I think we have some circumstances that happen on our campus that make it not feel like a safe place to talk about these issues," she said. "[People] don't think it can happen to Christians or think that if you really love each other in a godly way then abuse won't happen, but it does."

Ryland and the other core leaders of Sophia, SPU's gender equality club, saw the SPU campus needed a place where taboo topics such as domestic violence and rape could be openly addressed. With that in mind, they designed Violence Against Women Awareness Week to create an atmosphere of discussion and, hopefully, healing.

The Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) reported that one in four women on a college campus is a victim of abuse. Abigail Stahl, a senior and a leader of Sophia, said just because SPU is a Christian campus does not mean that there are no instances of abuse.

"There really is no reason why SPU should be any different, so that likely means that there is a lot of underreporting going on, which is concerning in and of itself," Stahl said. "It's very undercover in settings like this, and even in a lot of college settings it is, but particularly going back to the whole Christian school environment. It's just a very taboo topic and it's very painful and very uncomfortable."

In discussing the week, the core leaders of Sophia, four women, found that, within their group, they fulfilled the RAINN statistic.

"Realizing that within our group, one in four is represented just makes it real to us," said Beebe Sharkey, a senior and a leader of Sophia. The leaders want to make sure people in abusive situations feel empowered or safe to identify it and seek help, Sharkey said

The series of events began last night with a forum on intimate partner abuse lead by Andrea Steele, a programs' assistant for Salvation Army Domestic Violence Programs.

In designing the events that will continue throughout the week, the Sophia leaders wanted to address other issues that lead to violence against women.

Tonight, a discussion of pornography and the violence that takes place within the subject matter will take place at 7 p.m.

"One of the issues with pornography is that it creates unrealistic expectations of men and women and the way they behave in both society and sexual situations," Stahl said.

Tomorrow night, a discussion and video regarding the violence that comes through popular media, such as music videos, will take place at 7:30 p.m.

Both tonight's and tomorrow night's events will be held in Demaray Hall 360.

Friday will be a day of remembrance and prayer for victims of abuse and violence. A prayer vigil is planned in the Alexander Chapel from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

"You don't have to be a victim to take part in this week," Ryland said. "We will all probably know someone in our [lives] who has been a victim of violence and abuse."

While the focus of the week is on violence against women, the leaders of Sophia said that this is not a week just for women.

"The week is not to make men feel like attackers," Ryland said. "It is a way to empower men to be proactive and enable them to stop violence and rape."

Ultimately, Sharkey said she hopes that having a week of discussion and awareness will lead to help and healing for people who are victims.

"Sometimes people don't know it is an abusive situation until there is a name attached to it," Sharkey said.