Last Tuesday, a group of UTRGV departments hosted a presentation on the different aspects of stalking and how to avoid these dangerous situations.
The event, held in ESTAC 1.101, was sponsored by Student Rights and Responsibilities’ SuperHero Project, the University Police Department, Information Security Office and the Office for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention (OVAVP) in observance of National Stalking Awareness Month.
The Stalking Resources Center website (http://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center) describes stalking as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.” Every year, more than 7.5 million people are stalked in the U.S. An estimated 15 percent of women and 6 percent of men have been a victim of stalking.
Stalking can produce anxiety, insomnia and other mental disorders, according to Cynthia Jones, director of the Office for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention (OVAVP) and an associate professor in philosophy. Stalking can exacerbate other situations, such as alcohol and drug abuse, and it can also escalate to homicide. Therefore, it is important for students and faculty to learn how to identify and report these issues, Jones said.
“Stalking can be many things: following you, sending you suspicious packages, trying to contact you through social media,” said Officer David David Peña of the University Police Department.
Preventative measures one can take to ensure safety include walking with people you trust at night, instead of walking alone; walking in well-lit areas; and protecting personal information online, Peña said.
The UTRGV Police Department also offers the Safe Walking Program. Students may call the department and ask for an escort to their car late at night.
Jones presented information about the intersection of stalking, dating violence and unhealthy relationships. It is common to see stalking “normalized” on the media with movies and songs that romanticize not giving up, such as the infamous song, “Every Breath You Take,” by The Police. The reality is that stalking can also lead to femicide because it’s about control, for the most part, and making somebody fearful.
“If you are kind of a little bit scared of the person you are dating, first of all, come talk to us; second of all, they probably like it that way,” Jones said “They probably want you to be scared and a little bit freaked out about what they might do next.”
Business management sophomore Cecilia Carmouche said the stalking awareness presentation gave her confidence.
“I have more confidence so that I can say something now that I kind of know the signals and the signs,” Carmouche said.
The Office for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention is located in Learning Center Room 156 on the Edinburg campus. To make an appointment at the Brownsville campus, call 665-8287.
The University Police Department can be reached at 665-7151 in Edinburg and 882-8232 in Brownsville.
