Students help in women's shelter

FGCU students volunteered at one of the most productive and aggressive advocates for domestic abuse in the country this summer.

This advocate, the Naples Shelter for Abused Women and Children. was on campus during our most recent Orientation Week to help promote healthy relationships for university students.

This effort was sponsored and supported by a group of students in Michael Fauerbach's Civic Engagement class.

Although she can't speak for everyone involved, Jessica Cruz, a senior majoring in biotechnology, was one of the volunteers this summer and said she enjoyed her experience at the shelter.

"Making a difference is satisfying, but learning and teaching is the real reward," Cruz said. Her most valuable experience was learning about the power struggle at the core of abuse and the need to replace it with appropriate behavior.

"To break the cycle or potential cycle of abuse, change won't necessarily just stop on its own, but practice of good habits is the correction to poor behavior," Cruz said.

According to a United Nations study released in 2000 titled the "Status of Women," a woman is beaten every 15 seconds in the United States.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on domestic violence education and prevention, says that more than three women in the U.S. are slain each day by their husbands or boyfriends and up to 10 million children experience domestic violence annually.

We tend to ask, "Why does she stay?" instead of asking, "Why does he batter?" or, on a larger scale, "Why does society allow battering to continue?"

This shows the need to change our attitudes, beliefs and behaviors regarding the acceptance of violence in daily living.

This is why the shelter exists: to protect victims, to prevent abuse among future generations and to prevail over this social ill, according to their website, The Shelter itself is a professional support system for those seeking safety, assistance and guidance.

"The presence of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children on campus made the genuine impact that many students and parents recognized," said Cruz, one of three FGCU students who volunteered at the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples. Colleen Cole and Jessica Garcia also volunteered this summer.

This new, important initiative will focus on college-aged men and women to provide advice on building healthy relationships through mutual respect, effective conflict resolution and methods of honoring the self-respect and dignity of each party in a relationship.