Converse College to Take In-Depth Look at Domestic Violence
In 1999, South Carolina led the nation in the rate of domestic homicides, and remains in the top five today. Beginning Wednesday, February 27, Converse College will host a series of events aimed at making our community more aware of domestic violence and how to prevent it.
The events have been coordinated by the Converse chapter of Mortar Board and are part of the PROBE symposium, which is held every two years. All events are free and open to the public.
The schedule of events is as follows:
Wednesday, February 27, 8:00 p.m.; Loafers Game Room, Montgomery Hall
Screening of Broken Vows: Religious Perspectives on Domestic Violence; a discussion led by Converse Chaplain Laura Lee Jones, Converse Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Corrie Norman, and members of the Converse counseling staff will follow.
Sunday, March 3, 4:00 p.m., circle drive in front of Wilson Hall
Silent Witness Exhibit Dedication Ceremony
This national awareness campaign memorializes women killed by their domestic partners. Converse Students created this exhibit based on stories of S.C. women supplied by the State Attorney General’s Office.
Monday, March 4; Daniel Recital Hall, Blackman Music Hall
Probing Domestic Violence Symposium
5:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion: “Probing Domestic Violence in the Carolinas: Why are We Number One?” Panelists: Maxine Higgins, Domestic Violence Coordinator, SC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse; Lynn Hawkins, Executive Director, Spartanburg Safe Homes/Rape Crisis Coalition; Susan Oswalt: RN, MSN, Women’s Health Educator, NorthEast Medical Center, Concord, NC; Renee Middleton, Executive Director, Safe Harbor, Greenville, SC. Response by Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune.
6:45 p.m.: Dinner Break. Cost is $7 per person. To reserve meals, please call 596-9100 or e-mail corrie.norman@converse.edu. Reservations need to be made by 3pm, Friday, March 2.
7:45 p.m.: Keynote Address: Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune, “Love Does No Harm: What’s Important in Relationships.”
Rev. Dr. Fortune is a graduate of Yale Divinity School, a pastor, educator, and practicing ethicist and theologian. She is the author of several books including her most recent, Violence Against Women and Children: A Christian Theological Sourcebook (1996, with Carol Adams) and Love Does No Harm: Sexual Ethics for The Rest of Us (1995). Dr. Fortune is a minister in the United Church of Christ, and founded the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence in 1977. The Center, a non-profit organization headquartered in Seattle, is an interreligious educational resource addressing issues of sexual and domestic violence. The Center produces printed resources and a number of award-winning documentaries, including Broken Vows: Religious Perspectives on Domestic Violence and Love: All That and More, a video series on healthy relationships for young adults.
Tuesday, March 5; 8:00 p.m.; Loafers Game Room, Montgomery Hall
Discussion with Rev. Dr. Fortune and Domestic Violence Counselors from Safe Home/Rape Crisis Coalition Spartanburg.
Monday, March 18; 7:30 p.m.; Hartness Auditorium, Carmichael Hall
Lecture by Dr. Stephanie Coe, University of Texas-Austin, “Domestic Violence in Historical Perspective.”
For more information concerning these events, contact the Office of Communications at (864) 596-9704.