Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2004)
Take Kaplan. Score higher. Classes are starting soon! LSAT.4/6 GRE.4/18 DAT.5/3 GMAT.5/5 MCAT.5/15 KAPLAN 1-8Q0-KAP-TEST kaptest.com Test Prep and Admissions ♦Test names are registered trademarks of their respective owners. \/ Monitored alarms in every apt. Nighttime uniformed security officer 7 nights a week ✓ Courtesy managers on duty 7 days a week •/' On-site computer lab ✓ Faxing & photocopy services available y' Clubhouse w/ game room ✓ Fitness center Ample resident and visitor parking «/ Resort-like swimming pool ✓ Lighted volleyball and basketball courts Outdoor gas grills & bbq ✓ Decked out kitchens ✓ Cable/internet hookups ✓ Emergency alarm buttons ✓ Individual leases ✓ Roommate matching service ✓ On bus route to campus Furnished 1,2, and 4 bedroom apartments with washer/dryer starting at $335. KS/8;C Call today to ask abut our $100 off security deposit special. For a limited time only. Un I VerSITY Open Monday - Saturday c " “°„ r,s www.umversitycommons.com # f. Alumni gives SAFE support Jade Rubick, a University graduate, formed Stop Abuse for Everyone to give men support services, too By Lisa Catto News Reporter Heterosexual men, gay men and lesbians victimized by domestic vio lence may feel they have been left be hind by support organizations in the past, but more groups such as Stop Abuse for Everyone are aiming to in crease services for them. University graduate Jade Rubick created SAFE almost a decade ago to help people in his situation find help for dealing with domestic violence. Rubick said he had been in an abu sive relationship for a couple years, but when he looked for help he found that most of the organizations would only help women. 'There didn't seem to be real help for men in abusive situations," he said. Rubick said his goal was to create a support group and help hotline in Eu gene, but he began with a Web site, which received a huge response. According to a Department of Jus tice report of the National Violence Against Women Survey, 834,732 men are battered each year. "The idea is we don't want to dis criminate based on characteristics that aren't important," he said. Over time; his project developed to in clude person-to-person services, and in January 2001 Rubick officially established the group as a nonprofit organization. With the motto "our name is our mission," SAFE provides a speaker's bureau, court advocacy, support groups, hotlines and community re sources to every type of person who has been victimized by violence. SAFE has opened a chapter in New Hampshire, which has the same serv ices as a domestic violence shelter without the actual shelter. This chap ter received more than 150 calls re garding domestic violence in the first three months of2004. Rubick is currently working to open a shelter in Eugene and Portland. He said the organization is based in Port land, but they do policy work national ly and he hopes a new Portland chap ter would help people on a local level One of SAFE's most popular servic es is a brochure that individually dis cusses domestic violence against het erosexual men, gay men and lesbians. These brochures have been translated into many languages, including Chi nese, Russian, Bulgarian and Spanish, to better serve the communities. Abi gail Van Buren endorsed the hetero sexual men brochure in her Dear Abby column.Rubick said he hopes SAFE will be able to conduct a nation wide survey of available domestic vi olence services in the future. "We're trying to get feedback on what type of services are out there," he said. He said SAFE has received praise from the Points of light Foundation and the National Crime Prevention Council. Eugene Womenspace Community Outreach Director Margo Schaefer said programs such as SAFE are important to make people feel comfortable. "Our program is called Women space, so that could be a barrier for some people," she said. "People should go where they feel comfortable" Although Womenspace used to just serve women, Schaefer said they have opened their services to everyone. She said she is glad to see these type of programs available, especial ly due to the dramatic rise of domes tic violence recently. Schaefer said since September 2003, Lane County has experienced nine homicides or suicides where ei ther the abuser or victim died. Prior to September, there were nine similar in cidents over a seven-year span. Rubick said SAFE'S goal is to provide services to everyone who needs them. "It doesn't matter what type of per son you are," he said. "If you're in an abusive relationship, it is the type of experience you're having that is im portant. The services you receive should be based on what you need, rather than who you are." Contact the crime/health/safety reporter at lisacatto@dailyemerald.com. Program s founder tries to help victims A professor seeks funds to continue ACCESS for domestic violence victims By Ayisha Yahya News Editor A University faculty member is try ing to help victims of domestic vio lence reshape their lives. Counseling Psychology Assistant Professor Krista Chronister said she wants to restart a program this fall that helps battered women with economic and career-de velopment assistance. Chronister first started the Advanc ing Career Counseling and Educa tional Support for Survivors of do mestic violence program in fall 2000. "The first time was for my doctoral research}," she said. Chronister said the ACCESS pro gram — which focused on helping victims of abuse find out how they can get jobs and further their careers — was the first of its kind in the area. She added that it is important to understand how domestic violence affects battered women's abilities to work or find jobs. "We help them identify different jobs," she said, adding that the women also leam about goal setting, job searching, and how to do infor mational interviews. "We talk a lot about the impart of domestic violence on their career," she said. She said focusing on employ ment and career development in the short and long terms will help abused women access financial re sources and allow them to become economically stable. Chronister worked in collaboration with local churches and Women space, which provides services for vic tims of domestic violence. According to a University news release, Chronis ter wanted to start ACCESS after she had volunteered at Womenspace for four years and realized that the com munity lacked development pro grams that addressed women's eco nomic and career needs. "If we can help women in these ar eas we can be more effective in getting them out of abusive relationships and prevent reoccurrence of domestic vio lence," she said in the release. While the initial program was a five-week career-counseling group, Chronister said she now hopes to ini tiate a year-long program that will serve up to 100 women in the area. Chronister said 67 women started and finished the pilot program. More than 150 initially participated, and more than 300 called to inquire about the program, she said. Chronister said she is currently seeking funding to restart the pro gram, which would cost about $50,000 to $70,000 for a full year. She said she hopes social service agencies will eventually implement programs like ACCESS as part of their routine services. Womenspace Community Out reach Director Margo Schaefer said programs like ACCESS are vital in of fering a support network for victims and putting them in contact with peo ple who may have experienced the same problems. "It's really important that people understand what happened to them," she said. Womenspace has various pro grams, including a 24-hour crisis hot line, an emergency shelter and a drop in advocacy center. Schaefer said Womenspace works with about 55 families each year. A recent study shows that one in 10 women in Ore gon has been a victim of partner abuse, Schaefer said, and domestic abuse is one of the leading causes of violent death for women. "When a woman is murdered in this country, one in three times it's her husband or boyfriend who killed her, "she said. In Lane County, 11 domestic vio lence-related deaths have occurred since September, more than twice those reported in Multnomah Coun ty, Schaefer said. Women are not the only victims, however. Schaefer said men also expe rience abuse, and Womenspace does serve male clients as well. Schaefer said it is necessary for peo ple to know how they can help those who may be victims. "One of the most important things for somebody to make a successful change is to have a support person," she said. Contact the news editor at ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com.
