Feature: MSU Safe Place Makes Huge Impact

            MSU Safe Place, the only domestic abuse shelter on any campus, now offers extensive outreach programs to the corporate world.

            Since its founding in 1994, MSU Safe Place has gone way beyond merely providing a campus shelter for victims of domestic violence. 

            On the heels of two national grants totaling $838,000, MSU Safe Place has reached out dramatically to provide a wide range of non-shelter advocacy services.  And its newly launched Corporate Education Program has impacted the work place in dramatic and cost-effective fashion.  Many corporations in Michigan have already used its training programs, for their managers, supervisors and rank and file.

            “The feedback has been tremendous,” says Carol Conn, president of Capitol Fundraising Associates and a consultant to Safe Place’s Corporate Education Program.  “Everywhere we’ve been, they say we’ve made a big difference.  They rave about the quality of the training, the information they receive, and the way this has increased their ability to deal with the issue of domestic violence.

            “At every stage, (MSU First Lady) Joanne McPherson has been personally involved to make sure everything was done right.”

            Indeed, McPherson was instrumental in the founding of MSU Safe Place in 1994, the nation’s only campus shelter.  The operation, run by Holly Rosen and her staff, includes the offering of counseling, support groups and referrals, as well as educational printed material—10 of which are in the process of being translated into 10 languages, ranging from Russian to Urdu.

            “One of the primary goals of MSU Safe Place is to provide ongoing education,” says McPherson.  “It is a logical step for Safe Place to address the issue of domestic violence in the broader scope of workplace violence.”

            MSU Safe Place benefited greatly from the involvement of Jim Epolito, president and CEO of the Accident Fund, who was instrumental in the fund-raising efforts.  Epolito understood the need for the program.

            “According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, domestic homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace,” explains McPherson.  “There isn’t a lot of opportunity for employers to receive training in ways to protect employees in dangerous situations.”

            Statistics such as these were what motivated Epolito to take action, says Conn.  “It was clear to Jim that domestic violence was an issue that impacts the bottom line for corporations,” she says.  “It was a dollars and cents issue.”

            With the help of the Accident Fund, and also its parent company, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Safe Place developed an education program, complete with a video, that it now markets to companies.

            “We are so grateful to Jim Epolito and the Accident Fund,” says McPherson.  “Jim had the vision and commitment to see that the partnership he entered into with us to create the Corporate Education Program can be instrumental in helping the business community prevent workplace violence.”

            MSU Safe Place was founded in 1994, with funds raised via a Western Gala event at Cowles House (see Upfront, Summer 1994).             

            “We were the only domestic violence shelter on campus,” says Rosen.  “Today, nearly eight years later, we’re still the only one.  There are two reasons.  One is liability concerns, and the other is the inability to debunk the myth that domestic violence does not occur in the educated population.

            “The fact is that it does occur, and we are sending a message to victims and perpetrators that it’s a serious issue and that we won’t tolerate it.”

            Rosen notes that the two grants from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office, each a two-year grant covering 1999-01 and 2001-03, have allowed them to expand staffing and to provide non-shelter advocacy services.   "We’ll go to court with victims, offer counseling, advocacy and support services, help them contact the ombudsman, and try to provide whatever they need,” explains Rosen.  In addition, at least five of Safe Place’s printed material are shared with other services and programs in the Greater Lansing area.   

            MSU Safe Place relies on two annual fundraisers, a 5-K run every April, and a major treat—and possible Guiness World Record—sold during Homecoming.  In 1997, MSU’s Puffins Bakery created a massive 2,260-pound Rice Krispies Treat and it made the 1998 Guinness Book of Records.  In 1996, a 20-ft by 40-ft brownie just missed out because it had been partially assembled rather than baked whole.

            “They are solid fundraisers,” notes Rosen.  “The 5-K run now raises more than $30,000, while the Homecoming fundraiser brings in$12,000 to $15,000.  They’re fun.  We’re consideringanother Rice Krispies Treat.  Someone broke our 1997 record and we want it back.”

            It’s a safe bet that MSU will win it back, just as surely as Safe Place provides tremendous value not only in emergency cases, but also as an educational force around the nation and the globe.

MSU SAFE PLACE

            MSU Safe Place, the nation’s only on-campus domestic violence shelter, was opened in 1994 though the leadership of MSU First Lady Joanne McPherson.  It remains the only such facility on any university campus.  The center also provides workshops and seminars on the dynamics of relationship violence, as well as counseling, support groups and referrals. 

            For more information, contact noabuse@msu.edu, visit www.msu.edu/~safe, or preferably call 517- 355-1100 or517-367-1890 to learn more about our workplace violence program.