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<p>Well, at least the article recently linked says UVA students are not required to attend orientation, and that seems to be the time that the schools attempt to educate all the freshman on these issues since they sort of have their undivided attention.</p>
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<p>Fair enough. All I can speak to is my family’s experience. The sessions are offered, the sessions are scheduled, students are told certain ones are mandatory.</p>
<p>You know where we got a lot of mandatory sexual assault prevention training? Bryn Mawr. There wasn’t/isn’t a whole lot of sexual assault at Bryn Mawr. The students that need this kind of program the most are also the least likely to demand it.</p>
<p>teriwtt, I think that is why some parents have responded-the lack of correct info is troubling. I doubt anyone thinks their kids’s schools are perfect. Both sons at UVa and VT (and their parents) certainly had orientation, education about alcohol, sexuality. I am primarily concerned with taking this thread away from Yeardley. If some think that the issues need to be expanded, I suggest starting a new thread.</p>
<p>Nobody is taking anything away from Yeardley. This thread is about an alleged domestic violence murder at UVa. To discuss how UVA deals with domestic violence is far from off-topic. </p>
<p>I can’t access it, but the Washngton Post has another article today about what’s gone on with the lacrosse team at UVa–and it’s not talking about its success on the field.</p>
<p>Jonri, I suggest you start new threads then with all of the info you have re: the lacrosse team, domestic violence ,etc. I’m sure there will be lots of people interested.</p>
<p>sevmom, first off I simply replied to the article that was presented…I didn’t dredge it up. Liz Seccuro wrote this article in the Huffington Post yesterday because she is obviously still concerned with her alma mater’s response to domestic violence. It is not “old news” if the topic of the news hasn’t changed: she feels domestic violence is still a problem there. </p>
<p>As jonri eluded to, (great response btw) I am paying attention to this issue with UVA because I, like fishymom, have a high school daughter who is looking at colleges, one being the University of Virginia. What happened to Morgan Harrington and Yardley Love and Liz Seccuro all trouble me as a mom. If their stories had been in the news and they had happened at South Carolina or Alabama or William and Mary, (schools she also likes right now), you would find me having the same response. I want to see UVA make changes for the better on this matter. Should she apply/be accepted in a couple years, I want to be able to say, “OK, the administration has acknowledged this problem and are working super hard to make changes to diminish the chance of it happening again.” I hope to feel more secure than I do right now.</p>
<p>KandKsmom, interesting that you , not me,used the term “dredge it up.” At some level, did you think that that may be happening? What happened to Liz in 1984 is terrible . Morgan was visiting from VT at a concert and Yeardley was involved in an abusive relationship. A VT male student was killed last year with his girlfriend by who knows who? William and Mary, Cornell (suicides) tend to get mentioned as having some concerns attached to them as does Harvard, Yale, UNC,Alabama, Gettysburg,(murders,etc)pretty much most schools have some tragic stuff attached if you look. We can protect our kids only so much once they get to the college years. By the way, I don’t think moms of daughters have any monopoly on worrying about their kids. We all worry.</p>
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Why?..so we would have 2 or more threads talking about UVA and its inability to confront and deal with campus violence and assaults on female students. Sorry, but saying it aint so doesn’t negate the facts.</p>
<p>The fact that Yeardley was killed by her boyfriend in an abusive relationship is not in dispute.</p>
<p>When someone presents me with an article with observations that those other schools are deficient in preparing their incoming freshman, and they have a history of domestic violence on their campus like UVA does, then that school can get its own thread. Why aren’t UVA parents screaming that these incoming freshman ought to be receiving what seems like most other schools are providing? </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting it is a 100% guarantee of safety, but we all know it’s ticking time bomb if it’s not offered.</p>
<p>As Sabaray and I have already told you, kids and parents do have orientation , are advised of issues re: alcohol, sexuality,etc. I’m confident that UVa will learn from this as did VT in 2007. I’m sure Yale, Harvard, Cornell,Gettysburg,etc. have all made adjustments in light of things happening at their schools. Hindsight,etc. That some of you choose to not believe us and keep piling on is sad .</p>
<p>Is the orientation mandatory?</p>
<p>Son entered UVa in 2005 and I do believe it was mandatory. Younger son entered VT in 2009 and also had some mandatory things he needed to do. I believe you would have had to have a major excuse to not do any of this. It is part of living in your new community.</p>
<p>Here is a condensed version of the upcoming Fall Orientation Schedule. It is not comprehensive but I’m afraid I do not have my daughter’s materials from last year. It is substantially similar if not identical to what my daughter attended last year to my recollection. You will note that some events are described as required. Each student will be attending events specifically tailored to their major as well as Different Voices, Common Threads and Grounds for Discussion. These are the events I recall off the top of my head as being required that were followed up by individual discussion with the RAs. </p>
<p>[University</a> of Virginia > Orientation and New Student Programs > Fall Orientation](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/orientation/fallorientation/index.html]University”>http://www.virginia.edu/orientation/fallorientation/index.html)</p>
<p>First year students move in early and attend Fall Orientation. I do not know how that differs from other institutions. It is the same as when I attended college. </p>
<p>I think we’re damned if we respond here and damned if we don’t. If we’re silent, it’s as if we’re admitting what’s being said is true even when it’s not. If we speak to our experiences as parents, we’re part of the cover-up.</p>
<p>Thank you, Sabaray.</p>
<p>“I think we’re damned if we respond here and damned if we don’t. If we’re silent, it’s as if we’re admitting what’s being said is true even when it’s not. If we speak to our experiences as parents, we’re part of the cover-up.” </p>
<p>I am very much interested in hearing your experiences as parents. It is my intention to gather as much information, from as many sources as I can, so that I can help my rising senior make the best possible decision. My daughter loves UVA, as do I. But it seems, based on what I have read, that UVA can and should do more to address campus violence and violence against young women.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter, fishymom as she makes her college decisions.</p>
<p>hooked up with this guy the other night, and when we talked about UVA sports, his comment about the murder was, “amazing how it happened, wasn’t it?” </p>
<p>and inside I’m like, “No, the adjective to use is not ‘amazing’.” I hate how the outside world is leaping on this like a ‘scandal’ because the story concerns two star athletes and the world likes to see stars fall.</p>
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<p>What do you mean by the outside world?</p>