Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Healthy Students: A look into SEMO’s violence prevention resources

Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Graphic by Alisha Reisenbichler

Social media often presents differing ideas of love, but what’s the real key to a healthy and successful relationship?

According to the coordinator of the Campus Violence and Prevention Program (CVPP), Donna St. Sauver, healthy love is described as a learned behavior.

“The foundation of healthy love is respect,” St. Sauver said.

In order to help students develop relationships based on mutual respect, CVPP “raises awareness and promotes the primary prevention of interpersonal and sexual violence to create a safe campus environment” by hosting outreach events where they give prevention information and free goodies to students, according to Southeast’s website.

St. Sauver said there are various on-campus resources offered to Southeast students to help them develop healthy relationships, such as free counseling, the Let’s Talk Program and outreach events hosted by CVPP.

According to the Interim Director of the Center of Behavioral Health and Accessibility, Millicent Odhiambo, Southeast offers free counseling to any Southeast student who has paid their student fees.

“All of our counselors are licensed through the state of Missouri. [When] a student calls, we assign counselors based on availability,” Odhiambo said.

To set up an appointment or learn more about free counseling, students can contact the Center of Behavioral Health and Accessibility.

Dinia Jenkins, a counselor at SEMO, found inspiration for SEMO’s program in the national Let’s Talk Program, which allows counselors to reach out in different areas on campus to have brief consultations with students. These consultations allow counselors to direct students to the best resource for ongoing help.

Counselors host the Let’s Talk Program each Wednesday and Friday in the UC Program Lounge and Dobbins River Campus Center.

All events on campus must follow COVID-19 guidelines, so CVPP members have converted to a hybrid of online awareness and “grab and go” bags, prepackaged bags with psychoeducational information, water, frisbees, stickers and T-shirts.

CVPP hosted Love is Learned as this semester’s outreach program. There are currently 50 remaining premade bags that can be picked up by contacting CVPP at ucs@semo.edu or Donna St. Sauver at dstsauver@semo.edu.

For more information, contact any of the above-mentioned resources.

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