PUC has a new team to help educate students on ways to prevent dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS).

The new Survivor Empowerment, Response to Violence, and Education program, known as SERVE, is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Although only been visibly active on campus since the beginning of 2023, they have accomplished a lot in the past year! This January marks the third awareness month that they sponsored, and each time, they learn more about the types of activities PUC (specifically students) want to see as part of these awareness months.

In 2020, PUC applied for a grant through the Department of Justice that would allow the campus to put more funding and focus on the type of prevention work SERVE does. In that year, about half of all grant applicants received this award, and PUC was one of them! 

Everything the SERVE team does comes back to preventing and responding to sexual and intimate partner violence on our campus. Beyond activities and programming for students, they also focus on ensuring that the employees at PUC who respond to this type of violence or offer victim services are well-educated in understanding the complexities of these crimes and have the needed skill set to respond in a way that does not potentially re-traumatize a survivor. 

Project Director Alexis Haylock and Project Supervisor Michael Jefferson lead SERVE with their team of 12 members: 10 individuals who work at PUC and two representatives from community agencies. The two community partner agencies are NEWS, Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Services, and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

Currently, SERVE has PUC members from Student & Spiritual Life, Residential Life, the Student Wellness Center, the Student Success Center, Academics, Campus Security, the Title IX Office, and a student representative.

Alexis generously answered some questions for us to learn more about SERVE at PUC. 

Tell us about your team’s responsibilities.

Each member of SERVE is assigned to a smaller group within the team that is specific to their area of expertise or job description. These groups are victim services, student conduct, campus security, and prevention. Each of these groups comes together to make the entire SERVE Team. As a team, we meet at least once a quarter to discuss progress, receive additional training, and work towards meeting our long-term goal of making PUC the safest campus it can be. 

The victim services group consists of staff from PUC’s counseling, health, and access services in the Student Wellness Center, along with Napa community partner NEWS, Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Services. These are the individuals who respond directly to victims/survivors if they need someone to talk to about an instance of violence or a safety plan. Counseling Services Director and Psychology Professor Michael Jefferson leads this group.  

The student conduct group is a combination of PUC’s Student Conduct Committee and the Title IX Office personnel. These individuals are responsible for responding to reports of sexual or intimate partner violence at PUC and promoting fair resolutions. Title IX and Access Services Director Michelle Kendrick leads the group. 

The campus security group works closely with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office in responding to violence on campus but from a law enforcement and criminal justice perspective. Campus Security Site Supervisor Jennifer Schooley leads this group. 

Finally, the prevention group is the individuals that primarily focus on awareness and education programming for PUC’s students, faculty, and staff. This group is led by myself, and we are constantly crafting ways to actively engage students in activities throughout the year.

The featured picture of five SERVE members wearing bright yellow accessories after Community in January demonstrates the extent we will go to raise awareness and catch people’s attention.  

January was National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM). How did SERVE take action, and how will you continue to in the future? 

Although classes did not start until the second week of January, SERVE was still able to promote stalking awareness. We heavily use our Instagram (@pucserve) to post content about stalking behaviors and debunk myths about the crime (yes, stalking is a crime across the US!). There’s a lot of yellow on our page right now because that is the color of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM). 

If you walked around campus the last two weeks of January, you may have seen yard signs scattered around that emphasized harmful stalking behaviors and reinforced “Stalking is not romantic, it’s scary.” On January 24th, the whole campus participated in “Wear Yellow Wednesday” to raise awareness and show support for stalking victims (check out the photos on Instagram!).

We were also able to collaborate with Professor Arroyo during one of her psychology classes to pilot a stalking awareness presentation, which received positive feedback and engagement from the students in that class. 

January’s National Stalking Awareness Month is one of the three awareness months that SERVE focuses on. The other two are Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in April and Dating/Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) in October. Some campus favorite activities for the other two awareness months included the #PutTheNailInIt booth during DVAM, where anyone could paint a fingernail purple to bring awareness to dating and domestic violence, and Denim Day for SAAM in April, where numerous individuals on campus wore denim to show support for sexual assault survivors. As of January, SERVE officially completed one of each awareness month, and we already have some good ideas for the next school year!

What to you is the most important part of SERVE? 

To me, the most important part of SERVE is the fact that it even exists! Applying for this grant and subsequently making the SERVE team was optional for PUC. Taking a more active approach to preventing sexual and intimate partner violence on campus was a choice that leaders on campus made, and I’m certainly glad they did. Most everyone I talk to about our work on campus voices that they appreciate the increased attention to this area. Our campus has the opportunity to make a real difference, and so far, our work has been embraced with positivity and encouragement. 

What do you want people to grasp and fully understand about these issues? 

It can’t be said enough- whether they’ve told you or not, everyone knows someone who has experienced sexual or intimate partner violence. It’s much too prevalent, and it needs to be talked about. As a society, we can’t lay the sole burden of responsibility on victims to advocate for change. We all need to step up, acknowledge the harm that is happening, and voice intolerance for those behaviors. This is the first step in making a long-lasting change that reaches much further than just PUC. 

Every time I’m on campus doing an awareness activity, at LEAST one person always tells me that either they or someone they love experienced some form of sexual or intimate partner violence. After a particular SERVE presentation to a student group, I had someone come up to me and tell me that although they were thankfully not in this situation anymore, they realized what they experienced was actually stalking- but they never had the words or explanation of stalking laid out so clearly for them before. Those of us who do this kind of work know too well how prevalent violence is, whether it be mental or physical. Whether you know or not, everyone knows someone who has experienced sexual or intimate partner violence. It is a major societal problem, and it won’t be solved if we don’t shine the spotlight on it.

How can the PUC community support SERVE? 

Right now, one of the main focuses is promoting our online presence and making sure the PUC community knows our work. Another important thing we want is to get the word out about our Instagram and website so our content reaches as many people as possible. We can also always use volunteers to brainstorm program activities for the campus and help implement them. If people have recommendations for what they want to see on campus, we are all ears! 

One of the best things the PUC community can do to support our work is to discuss these issues. It’s not easy to openly talk about sexual and intimate partner violence- but we know that not talking about it is a major part of the reason why so many victims feel that they are alone in their struggles and often don’t realize the severity of their situation. When people talk openly and demonstrate that they do not tolerate abusive behavior, it sends a clear message to individuals who are harming others and empowers victims to seek help. 

The SERVE team looks to expand its team by including more PUC employees and having students more involved with their prevention work. They seek feedback and help with activities during awareness months. Learn more about SERVE and these issues by visiting puc.edu/serve or following @pucserve on Instagram. If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a member, email serve@puc.edu.