Violence Prevention

Contact: Larry Gourdine
Location: 237 Memorial Hall, Athens, GA 30602
Telephone: 706-542-SAFE (7233)
Email: lagrsvp@uga.edu
Website: http://www.uga.edu/ovp/index.html

The Office for Violence Prevention (OVP) seeks to engage and empower community members to actively participate in creating a campus community that is free from sexual and relationship violence by:

• Challenging cultural attitudes and beliefs that contribute to violence.
• Promoting healthy relationships, respect and tolerance for others.
• Taking responsibility for actions and inactions that perpetuate and condone violence.
• Promoting non-violent solutions for dealing with conflict and differences.
• Fostering a sense of community where all members of the UGA community feel safe and welcomed.

OVP is a refuge for students impacted by relationship and sexual violence seeking support services to begin the healing process. OVP is a resource for the campus community and advocates for individuals needing assistance, information, confidential consultation, and referral services on and off- campus. OVP also provides leadership and development opportunities for students, faculty and staff interested in making UGA a safe place for everyone.
The Office of Violence Prevention provides several valuable informational resources that can be used by all faculty, staff and students, including a relationship violence safety plan and information about how to help survivors of violence.  These and others can be found on the OVP website listed above.

It is important to note that UGA has a Relationship and Sexual Violence Policy, which states: “University officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities are required to complete a ‘Data Form for Relationship and Sexual Violence Incidents’ for each student disclosure of relationship or sexual violence. The purpose of this form is to collect aggregate statistical data to monitor service usage, detect trends, and inform educational and public information activities, including the University’s annual report on crime statistics. The University will provide statistics of reported crimes as required and defined by the Campus Security Act and the Student-Right-to-Know-Act. The form should not include any personally identifying information. Completed forms should be mailed to Office for Violence Prevention, 116 Memorial Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-1755.”