The Times-News and Elon University are partnering to hold a community panel on domestic violence, an issue of crucial importance for our community, on Nov. 3 from 7-8:15 p.m. in McKinnon Hall of the university's Moseley Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Domestic violence will be the theme to the first of three “Community Connections” campus programs taking place during the 2014-15 academic year in a partnership between Elon University and the Times-News of Burlington, N.C.
The panel discussion takes place from 7-8:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, in McKinnon Hall inside the university’s Moseley Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Members of the general public campus community members selected the three themes – domestic violence, hunger, and “Alamance County in 2030” – via online voting and a recent College Coffee on campus.
“[Domestic violence] wasn’t on the radar screens of most people in the nation. It should’ve been. As is usually the case, it was placed there by a widely reported case that stemmed from popular culture. In this instance it was professional football,” said Times-News Executive Editor Madison Taylor. “But the larger truth is there are situations just as egregious if not more so happening in our neighborhoods almost every day.“
The panel consists of:
- Julie Budd, outreach and volunteer coordinator at CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response and Resource Center
- Rob Johnson, retired senior resident Superior Court judge and former Alamance County district attorney
- Angela Lewellyn Jones, associate dean of Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of social justice
- Lynn Rousseau, executive director of Family Abuse Services
Jason Husser, faculty fellow for Civic Engagement at Elon University, said there is “no room for debate” about the evils of domestic violence.
“Domestic violence is bad,” he said. “Countless polls reflect this as overwhelming consensus. However, problems of domestic violence continue in communities throughout the world. We hope the panel discussion and audience questions will not only raise awareness but also offer ideas and evidence about ways to address the social problem.”
A February 2014 Elon University Poll of Alamance County found 9 out of 10 residents thought domestic violence was a “very important” or “important” concern in Alamance County.
Community Connections forums take on a lively format. They consist in large part of a coomunity panel having an open conversation with audience members.
The goal of Community Connections forums is to create thoughtful dialog with members of the university community as well as those who in live in Alamance County and the surrounding area. Previous forums have explored issues surrounding health care, gun violence, education and poverty.
The second Community Connections event, titled “Alamance County: 2030” will focus on the future of Alamance County and incorporate downtown Burlington revitalization into the discussion. This event will happen at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. See this link for a Burlington Times-News article on the future event.
The third Community Connections panel will be in the spring and focused on issues surrounding hunger. The Community Connections program is sponsored by the Council on Civic Engagement. For more information on the program, please contact Jason Husser at (336) 278-5239 or jhusser@elon.edu.