The Cerritos College Punjabi Club will be holding a Domestic Violence seminar in the student center from 12:30pm to 2:00pm on Mar. 10th.

Other campuses such as Calif. State Fullerton University and Cypress College will also be visiting Cerritos College for the seminar.

The seminar is to educate students on campus about what domestic violence is.

Domestic violence traditionally started out as a South Asian seminar, people decided that they shouldn’t limit it to just Asia but everywhere else as well. The more educated people are about domestic violence, the more people are willing to get help for themselves or other people.

According to Brian Verk, president of the Punjabi club, “More than 50% of men and women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.”

There will be several speakers at the event. Such speakers include 1 survivor of domestic violence, 1 reform batterer, an LAPD officer, a DA officer and Diane Pirtle and Amy Holzgang, both professors of sociology here at Cerritos College. The Central Interval House, also known as a shelter house and Feminist Majority Leadership Foundation will also take part in the event.

ASCC will lighten the mood a little by handing out refreshments.

The discussion will last about an hour and a half and 100 to 200 students are expected to come. Anyone who is interested here at Cerritos College is welcome to attend.

At the end, there will be a panel of speakers including a homosexual male who has experienced domestic violence to answer any questions students may have.

Secretary of the Punjabi club, Aishani Patel adds, “This seminar is to inform students to speak out against domestic violence. This is the age when students start to form opinions.”

Brochures and handouts of addresses to various shelters like Sucasa and the Central Interval House will be there for students to pick up afterwards.

These information sheets will not only be helpful for students living in Calif. but in other states as well. Students who know friends or family members in time of need can contact other shelters in other states to help their loved ones.