Mercy College Presents Jana’s Campaign Founder as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to learn more about Jana’s Campaign from Co-Founder Dr. Curt Brungardt.
Curt Brungardt, Ph.D, co-founder of Jana’s Campaign, Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies and the Executive Director of the Center for Civic Leadership at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, will present two sessions at Mercy College of Ohio on Wednesday, October 11 at 12-1 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. in Room 3302 on 2200 Jefferson Side of the building. These informational sessions are part of Mercy College’s sexual violence awareness and prevention campaign, “It’s On Us…to show Care and Compassion,” built on the national It’s On Us campaign.
Dr. Brungardt's message is very fitting during the month of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Our ability to host this national speaker in both Toledo and Youngstown is possible through a grant provided by the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), which was awarded to Mercy College in August,” says Leslie Erwin, Director of Compliance. "It’s important for those of us working in higher education to understand the issues our students face and how to best support them. Unfortunately, one of these issues is interpersonal and relationship violence."
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute in this country, and intimate partner violence is most common among women between the ages of 18-24.
On July 3, 2008, the lives of Dr. Brungardt and, his wife, Christie changed forever. Their daughter, Jana Mackey, a 25 year-old law student at the University of Kansas was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Lawrence, KS. Like her parents, Jana was also a committed social activist. Since Jana’s death, the Brungardts have been active nationally in the effort to reduce violence against women through the organization they cofounded, Jana’s Campaign, a national education and violence prevention organization with the single mission of reducing gender and relationship violence. In honor of the late Jana Mackey and other victims of gender and relationship violence, Jana’s Campaign delivers educational programs that prevent domestic and dating violence, sexual violence and stalking. Much of Dr. Brungardt's work has focused on engaging men and boys in reducing gender violence by examining modern masculinity. He speaks nationally on this topic and serves on the national advisory board of Coaching Boys Into Men.
Dr. Brungardt will also speak at Mercy College’s Youngstown location on Thursday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m. in Finnegan Auditorium.