Organizations seek to prevent violence

Beginning at 3 p.m. today, the Division of Recreational Sports and Middle Way House will sponsor a program called Fitness Against Violence. The event, at the Student Recreational Sports Center, is designed to raise awareness about violence against women. \nProceeds from the program go to Middle Way House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against women.\nFitness Against Violence participants can attend group exercise classes, such as step aerobics and yoga, or go to lectures concerning domestic violence and sexual assault. Registration for the program is $15 the day of the event.\nThe idea for the event came when the Division of Recreational Sports lost two employees, Jennifer Meece and Jill Behrman. Behrman has been missing since May 31, and Meece was found dead in her apartment last June. Meece's family believes she was killed by her boyfriend, who was also found dead in the apartment. A coroner's investigation could not determine Meece's cause of death. \n"Our staff knew these people and when you have a tragedy like this happen, people want to give back," said Carol Kennedy, director of fitness wellness. "We felt like we had to do something for the cause."\nAlthough the event offers many fitness classes, there will also be discussions on body image, rape aggression defense demonstrations and a tree dedication ceremony in honor of Meece.\n"We didn't want the event to be just about kickboxing," said Jane Johnson, a graduate student and SRSC employee. "We wanted it to be about making healthy decisions about your body and your life."\nThe event is open to all students and community members. Although it deals mainly with violence against women, men are encouraged to take part as well.\n"It is imperative that men become more aware of the dynamic that goes on in a domestic violence relationship and in a sexual assault situation," said Jill Nielsen, fund development coordinator for Middle Way House. "Not only if they themselves have issues with dealing with violence against women, but also they need the skills and tools to give victims support."\nBesides raising awareness about violence against women, the program will raise support for Middle Way House. The funds will go to the many programs the organization offers to women and children who are victims of violence.\nMiddle Way House programs include community education, support groups, legal advocacy, transitional and temporary housing.\n"We're a pretty comprehensive organization," Nielsen said. "Funding from the community level is critical to our success."\nBesides the Fitness Against Violence program, Middle Way House participates in other events throughout the year to raise awareness about violence against women, including Take Back the Night rallies, Night at the Opera and other fund-raising events.\nMany volunteer opportunities are available to those interested . Some services include working in the legal advocacy office, answering the 24-hour crisis line and doing various administrative services.\n"We have a huge volunteer program, and we rely heavily on community volunteers to help out with all of our programs and services throughout the year," Nielsen said.\nOther organizations involved with the Fitness Against Violence Program include the Commission on Personal Safety, IU Police Department and the Office for Women's Affairs.\nThe Office for Women's Affairs deals with safety issues on campus and promotes programs that deal with sexual assault and violence.\n"We were really interested in being involved with something that would bring the issues to the attention of students, faculty and the community," said Jean Robinson, dean for Women's Affairs. "We particularly like the idea of connecting education about violence against women to programs that encourage women to become stronger and more physically fit"