Student Affairs host Drug and Alcohol Awareness Day for crisis prevention
Delaware Technical Community College, Owens Campus Student Affairs Mental Health Department hosted the Wellness Drug and Alcohol Awareness Day on April 7, connecting students with resources for crisis prevention.
Mental Health Resource Counselor Sherri Niblett stresses wellness and prevention.
“Awareness and prevention. If you know what can happen hopefully you can prevent it,” said Niblett.
Sexual assault information was also available.
“Drug and alcohol can lead to sexual assault risk so we tie them together. So it all kind of goes together,” said Niblett.
The information and resources was beneficial for male and female students, and faculty.
“The other part about awareness is to let staff, faculty, anybody else know about these resources and that these resources are available, so they know where to send the students,” said Niblett.
Those in attendance were Brenda Marchand with Contact Life Line, a sexual assault crisis center. Daisy Veith, Prime for Life, which conducts seminars for prevention with addiction or alcohol abuse. Lisa Venables, with the Kent/Sussex Mobile Crisis, provided support services, information and referrals for people in need.
Human Services student, Brenda Marchand, is doing her internship with Contact Life Line that provides free help for those who have experienced some type of assault, calling them survivors and not victims.
“The purpose is to help survivors of sexual assault. We have a 24-hour crisis hotline and a 24-hour counseling service. It doesn’t matter when anything happened to them or how long ago it was, the service is confidential and it’s free,” said Marchand.
The Crisis Support 24-hour hotline number is 1-800-262-9800.
Carla Tingle, an academic counselor with Student Affair’s also helped out at the event. Tingle talked to guest at the Clothesline Project table about the “it’s on us” initiative.
“The college initiative “it’s on us” is getting the awareness out that there is sexual violence on College campuses. And through awareness, make the students aware that this is on each and every one of us as individuals to prevent violence,” said Tingle.
There were also t-shirts on display for the Clothesline Project. Tingle stressed the importance of not being silent.
“Cause a lot of women we find live in silence. There is so much to voicing. You know, when you’re living in silence with this, you’re scared to voice it,” said Tingle.
The t-shirts symbolized the voices of the survivors and others speaking out against assault and abuse.
Former Delaware Tech Human Services student Daisy Veith provided information about the seminars that are conducted by Prime for Life on the Delaware Tech Owens Campus.
“Our agency has partnered with the College, Del Tech, to provide the Prime for Life Seminars, which is an evidence based program based out of prevention in regards to whether or not they could possibly be heading down a road towards addiction or alcohol abuse,” said Veith.
Students can sign up for theses one day sessions held on the Delaware Tech Owens Campus with Prime for Life by emailing dveith@kscs.org.
Terrie Crisafulli, who works in the Delaware Tech Owens Campus Science Department, talked to students and helped them decorate plates and cups for a Women’s Shelter.
“I was talking about the myths surrounding rape. The common ones are she asked for it by the way she was dressed or she didn’t say no it must have been OK,” said Crisafulli.
The purpose behind the plates was for inspiration.
“It’s for inspirational messages for whoever uses the plates that life will get better,” said Crisafulli.
Lisa Venables, a Psychiatric Social Worker and Mental Health Screener with the Kent Sussex Mobile Crisis, screens people to make sure they are alright mentally and physically.
“Our primary concerns is making sure that that person is ok and they’re safe from self or other harm,” said Venables.
Students are able to contact any of the resources at any time. For more information, contact Owens Campus Mental Health Resource Counselor, Sherri Niblett at sniblett@dtcc.edu.
The message on the Clothesline Project t-shirt speaks out against assault and abuse. Photo by P. Starkey
Terri Crisafulli, an employee at the Owens Campus Science Department, holds a plate decorated by a Delaware Tech student for a women’s shelter. Photo by P. Starkey.
Sherri Niblett, a Mental Health Resource Counselor, at Owens Campus. Photo by P. Starkey