The Campus Safety Event was presented as a safe haven for students who were going through things in their personal lives, such as dating/domestic violence, sexual/physical abuse, stalking, bullying or a hard time at home.

Department Chair of Philosophy and Women’s Studies Professor Ana Towers-Bower held an event Tuesday, Sept. 15 called Stand Up, Speak Up, Speak Out.

This event was open to all students, staff and faculty.

There was a carefully selected panel of four guest speakers that each spoke about a specific subject ranging from campus safety to sexual abuse.

Toward the end of the event everyone was given the opportunity to ask questions that they had regarding what they had learned throughout the event.

One of the guest speakers at the event, Associate Dean of Student Health and Wellness Center, Dr. Hillary Mennella expressed that resources are available to students.

“Our message is you’re not alone. We have students who are victims of a crime at home, but we can help them here to try and transition out of that situation.”

She explained that “What we try to do is create a safety plan with people that they do trust where they can go. It’s a process and the student has to be a willing participant and when they’re ready then we can guide them the right way.”

One of the resources outlined was the ability to talk to a counselor at the Health and Wellness Center.

A workshop called “Falcon Safe,” that will help students be aware on campus and how Cerritos College law enforcement is available to walk students to their cars if they’re alone.

Professor Towers-Bower said, “There is a great interest in promoting this value of safety on campus across the country because this is a common situation. More common than you and I would like to acknowledge.”

She said, “The idea is you’re on campus, you feel fine, you feel safe, but at Cerritos College all of us are protectors to make the campus safe.”

She wanted to open the door to students to let them know that they didn’t have to go through the hard times alone and that the faculty and staff wants to see each and every student succeed.