UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Gender Equity Center (GenEq), a unit of Student Affairs, will host events during the final week of Stalking Awareness Month, which is recognized each January.
This month’s events include:
Speaker: Robin Brockelsby
- 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 in the Freeman Auditorium in the HUB-Robeson Center
- Livestream access here: https://cutt.ly/nsam2022
Robin Brockelsby — entrepreneur, speaker, leadership consultant and past president of the board for the Crisis Call Center of Nevada — will serve as the keynote speaker for Stalking Awareness Month. Wife, mother and business owner, Brockelsby’s life was drastically altered by a stalker who turned his focus to her and her family. The two-time TEDx speaker will explain how 11 words — “life as you know it will never be the same again” — changed her life. She will discuss her experience with stalking and her journey to reclaim her emotional strength, bravery and power after her victimization. Additionally, Brockelsby will address ways to prevent and educate the Penn State community to promote a positive campus culture.
"You," season 3, screening and discussion
- 5 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 via Zoom (Register here: https://cutt.ly/youS3)
These events help bring awareness to stalking as well as educate the Penn State community about recognizing and preventing stalking and related behaviors.
According to the United States Department of Justice, stalking is defined as “engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.” In the U.S. alone, approximately “6 to 7.5 million people are stalked in a one year period,” according to the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC).
The center supports students impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, harassment and other campus climate issues. GenEq staff provide education, advocacy, referrals and crisis intervention/support counseling. All services are free and confidential.
Student Affairs also offers support for victims and survivors of stalking and related domestic violence issues. For those concerned about the welfare of a student, anonymous reports can be made to the University’s Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response or to law enforcement.
Anyone seeking support is encouraged to visit https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/genderequity for more information.