DeKALB — Officer Shaunda Wilson delivered a speech Tuesday on domestic violence to the students of the OHANA program.

Wilson is part of the NIU police department on campus and said how the NIU police not only patrol campus but often work off campus if the crime takes them elsewhere.

Wilson started off by stating the differences between battery and assault, and said most people get them confused for one another when they are actually quite different.

“Feeling threatened by a motion is an assault,” Wilson says. “If I believe you are going to physical harm me in any way, that is an assault.”

The difference between battery and assault is battery is unwanted physical contact. Whether it causes any sort of pain or not, if someone is touched unwillingly it is a battery.

Domestic battery is much different than battery because battery is between strangers and domestic battery is between you and someone you know.

“Domestic battery will affect anything that you are going to do. I cannot be a police officer if I have a domestic battery; I cannot be a teacher if I have a domestic battery.” Wilson said. “They are almost impossible to be removed from your record.”

In a domestic battery case, there is no fine to get you out of jail as it is automatic jail time. Domestic is the only misdemeanor the police can sign for, and they do it often.

The overall message of the presentation was for students to stay safe and be aware of the different crimes that are most popular in the area. The presentation also included situations the police often find themselves running into on campus and around DeKalb.

Sophomore education major Ryan Chanthavong enjoyed the presentation and found it very helpful for students.

“I thought it was really informative because at NIU, a lot of students are away from home, so they could run to unexpected things where they have no family members. So with this presentation, I thought it was really helpful for students to get information, what to do, seeking steps on how to stay safe if they ever run into this problem.” Chanthavong said.

Many students who are away from home tend to find themselves in situations they do not know how to get out of, and it is important that everyone knows what to do and how to handle the situation if it arises.

Amy Bounnavong, junior non-profit and non-governmental organization major, who has been in a similar situation with her brother, said she supported the information she received in the presentation.

“I liked the way she presented; I liked how she was telling us things we wouldn’t normally know and what they go through,” Bounnavong said.