The campus conversation series began at the start of the 2015/2016 academic year and concludes in May.  The series has included conversations on topics such as sexual assault/domestic violence, cyber bullying, healthy relationships, financial aid and more.  

On March 3, students learned about social media, self-image and rape culture while on March 28 the topics covered were internet safety, predator danger and sexting.  Both discussions were well attended by students. Louisa Printz, a Community Educator from Safe Haven of Waterbury explained the dangers of social media posting from sexting to cyber-bullying as well as the privacy settings you may be forfeiting when downloading apps and the emerging technology that makes it difficult to track predators.

Students asked questions on how to protect themselves and learned tips on how to better protect themselves and their families.  Printz told students to be smart when posting, “If it is something you wouldn’t want your grandparent seeing, then don’t post it!”  She also recommended they turn off their location settings when they’re not using them and to continue to check privacy settings.

The next conversation in the series focuses on “Sexual Assault, Consent and Intervention”; it is scheduled for April 6, from 5:00-6:00 pm in the Learning Resource building room 501 (L501). On April 20, in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury and NVCC students will set-up tables around campus for students to have their pinkie nail painted in recognition of sexual assault awareness.

“It is our goal to provide relevant programs like these to educate our students on the importance of protecting themselves whether it is online or out in the world,” stated Sarah Gager, Dean of Student Services.  “We appreciate the commitment Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury has made to further this initiative by leading this series of conversations.” 

According to their website, Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury has been serving victims of domestic violence since 1978.  The agency provides emergency shelter and free support services to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. They are "committed to ending violence and sexual assault by changing the social condition and beliefs that perpetuate violence against women and children.”