NIU offers multiple victim advocacy resources including help for victims of domestic violence but fails to make these opportunities known to students.

The NIU Wellness Promotion website defines domestic violence as “physically, sexually, and/or psychologically abusive behavior against a family member or household member. …” At least 84 people in Illinois died from domestic violence in 2014, according to the Illinois Commission Against Domestic Violence.

The NIU Advocacy Services coordinator is available to help students indirectly and directly affected by domestic violence find the appropriate resources for their situations, said Advocacy Services coordinator Shana Ware.

“The coordinator has knowledge of the legal system and awareness of the NIU Student Code of Conduct processes and can support students as they navigate these systems,” Ware said. “The coordinator can also provide assistance with academic concerns, communicating with professors, connecting students to counseling resources and interacting with community resources.”

Keeping this in mind I am sure that anyone who finds themselves in this situation would want help but also feel afraid to reach out for whatever personal reason. That is why a resource like NIU’s Advocacy Services should have a more visible presence.

“It is absolutely important to make sure students victims have some kind of resource to let them know they’re not alone because that’s the last thing you would want,” said Amanda Gaucin, junior rehabilitation services major. “If anything you need multiple types of resources. … Sometimes it might be hard to seek help right away and it is understandable when someone might feel afraid or confused, but having a safe place to be able to speak up with someone who will listen to you and help guide you to what is right at the end of the day is a great place to start.”

Unfortunately not all students are aware they have these options on campus. Navigating NIU’s website to find information on Advocacy Services and domestic violence was difficult. I had no idea NIU even had a resource called Advocacy Services. Neither did Jared Vazquez, sophomore Engineering technologies and manufacturing major.

“If I or someone I know was in that situation I guess I could tell them to go to a student service,” Vazquez said. “I really have no idea as to where I would go on the NIU website.”

Domestic Violence is an extremely sensitive topic, especially for those directly affected. Reaching out for help is hard and when you are not sure where to even go for help it makes it much harder. Advocacy Services is a very organized and well qualified resource for students but it needs to make itself known if it wants to make a difference.