Transformation Project begins

BGSU's Transformation Project, aimed at stopping violence against women, has taken two big steps forward with the recent addition of two staff members. Michelle Clossick is the project coordinator, and Deidra Bennett is the victim advocate. Within a few weeks the third person in the project, the community educator, is expected to be in place as well, said Mary Krueger, director of the Women's Center.

Transformation Project team members Michelle Clossick (center), project coordinator, and Deidra Bennett (right) victim advocate, meet with Women's Center Director Mary Krueger (right).

Bowling Green's project is the only one in Ohio and one of 20 nationwide to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice this year to address violent crimes against women on college campuses. BGSU is also unusual in that it is the only project committed to providing equal attention to employees as students, according to Krueger, the author of the $400,000, two-year grant.

"I believe this project has the single biggest potential of any initiative to change the climate for women at BGSU with the exception of the creation of the Women's Center," Clossick said.

Overall climate change-a change in the ingrained culture of fear and the threat of violence against women-is the transformation the title refers to, the three said. The goal is to change individual lives through education and intervention, to hold perpetrators accountable and to help guide institutional policies. Education will focus on stopping the "blame the victim" attitude that still prevails even among young women, Krueger said, and emphasizing accountability on the part of male offenders and appropriate consequences for them.

Krueger said the Office of Human Resources has given "incredible support" for the project. Rebecca Ferguson, assistant vice president for human resources, and BGSU Police Officer Anthony Dotson have participated in the quarterly training required by the grant.

In her role as advocate, Bennett is available to any student or employee who has been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking at any time, whether immediately after the incident or years later. A licensed social worker, she has a strong background in victim advocacy, having worked as a clinical therapist with victims of violence and with the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter in Toledo and at a number of other agencies.

It is important for women to know they need not be interested in bringing charges against their assailant or in getting involved in the legal system to use her services, Bennett said. She is available for everything from crisis intervention in the aftermath of an assault to simply talking with victims. For those who do choose to pursue legal or civil avenues, she will accompany them if they desire. She is very familiar with all the legal and medical resources available to victims and works closely with Behavioral Connections in Bowling Green to provide advocacy for their clients who are affiliated with the University. Confidentiality is strictly maintained, she said.

To reach Bennett, call 2-2190 or email her at deidrab@bgnet.bgsu.edu. Her office is in 105-A Hanna Hall.
Clossick, a social worker, is already familiar with the Bowling Green campus, having been an instructor in family and consumer sciences and coordinator of the Partnerships for Community Action project called Peace Begins at Home, which looked at community response to domestic violence in Bowling Green. She has also worked in marriage and family therapy.
She can be reached at 2-7253 or by email at mlcloss@bgnet.bgsu.edu. Her office is in 106 Hanna Hall.