Skip To Content
Filter search
Cal Poly Pomona
  • LIBRARY
  • ONLINE SERVICES
  • DIRECTORY
  • MAPS
  • CALENDAR
  • About Cal Poly Pomona
  • Cal Poly Pomona Overview
  • Visitor Information
  • Campus Maps & Tours
  • News
  • Events
  • Administration
  • Annual Security Report
  • Campus Safety Plan
  • Admissions
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • International Admissions
  • Continuing Education Admissions
  • Military & Veterans Admissions
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Student Accounts & Fees
  • Outreach, Recruitment, & Educational Partnerships
  • Academics
  • Colleges & Departments
  • Majors & Degrees
  • University Catalog & Academic Schedules
  • University Library
  • Research
  • Academic Resources
  • Registrar
  • Campus Life
  • Student Services
  • Student Activities
  • Recreation & Fitness
  • Health & Wellness
  • Housing & Dining
  • Diversity
  • Calendars & Events
  • Campus Safety & Emergency Info
  • Athletics
  • Visit Athletics Website
  • Alumni
  • Visit Alumni Website
  • Giving
  • Why Give
  • Ways to Give
  • Where to Give

PolyCentric University News Center

Main Menu
  • About Our University
  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Athletics
  • Giving
  • Expand/Collapse Menu
Browse: Home / 2010 / June / Student Empowers Herself to Help Others

PolyCentric

University News Center

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
    • Submissions
    • Contact
    • Department of Strategic Communications
    • PolyCentric
  • News
    • Browse by Topic
    • View All Stories
    • In Memoriam
    • Archives
  • Achievements
  • Announcements
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Social Media Directory
  • Events
  • For the Media

Student Empowers Herself to Help Others

Posted on June 1, 2010

Student Empowers Herself to Help Others

Hayley Armstrong, psychology 2010 graduate

You’re standing in the University Quad when you see a young man screaming at a woman and waving a large stick. What do you do?

It’s a scenario that psychology student Hayley Armstrong has shared dozens of times. There are several approaches: Call the police; try to intervene; distract the man; enlist a friend to help calm the situation. The point, Armstrong says, is to not be silent but to empower yourself to make a difference.

“Being silent is basically acquiescing to the violence and saying it’s OK,” she says. “Right now, we maintain a culture of violence that supports one in three women around the world who will be beaten or raped in her lifetime. We can fix this, but we need everyone together to do it.”

A student assistant in the Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center, Armstrong leads discussions about domestic violence and sexual assault and helps promote the center’s workshops and programs. Occasionally, she’ll counsel a crisis victim or accompany a client to court to file for a restraining order.

Although Armstrong can recite grim statistics about sexual assault and domestic violence in the United States and worldwide, she’s hopeful that change is within reach. She believes that open and frank discussions about sexuality and sexual violence, as well as education, can help reduce the frequency of rape, sexual violence and other offenses.

Four years ago, sex was a conversation topic that was whispered among friends. Now, Armstrong confidently shouts “Hey hey, ho ho! Domestic Violence has got to go!” into a microphone during campus rallies.

“I underwent a personal transformation,” she says. “I learned about myself and what it means not only to be a woman but a person in this world. I wish I could share it with the world because it’s so integral to who I am now.”

During her first week at Cal Poly Pomona, the Napa native began volunteering at the Stop Violence Office, which has since become the resource center. She learned about the problems of sexual violence and domestic violence, and even learned of instances on campus. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, Armstrong was motivated to educate and empower those around her to help make a change.

Class of 2010 logo

One of the outlets is the annual production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” Shocking and obscene to some audience members, the intense stories are intended to motivate people to action, Armstrong says. She’s also part of the Female Sexuality Society, a confidential group that discusses sex and personal experiences.

“I think a lot of women are so uncomfortable about talking about sex and don’t know where to get help,” she says. “Groups like the Violence Prevention center and the Female Sexuality Society offer support.” She adds that the Men Against Violence group offers a forum for male students to discuss similar issues.

Erika Zepeda, coordinator of the center, watched Armstrong grow during her four years at Cal Poly Pomona from a quiet freshman to an empowered advocate. “She has truly transformed into a true advocate for change, embodying all of the skill and passion needed to make the world more cognizant of gendered violence,” says.

This year, Armstrong introduced the Green Dot Violence Prevention program, a bystander intervention program that calls upon ordinary people to step in, raise their voice or simply show their support for safety. The Green Dot response, which originated at the University of Kentucky, ranges from calling the police when there’s a fight to stopping someone when they make a sexist comment to hanging a Green Dot poster.

“It’s important to realize that each person can do something very simple that doesn’t take a life-changing experience,” she says. “It’s about being present and knowing when to step in.

“Back yourself up with education and information, as well as support of people around you. You can do the right thing.”

Psychology Professor Felicia Thomas says Armstrong put in considerable time and effort to contact university administrators to bring the Green Dot presentations and training sessions to campus. “There was never a problem she could not or did not solve,” Thomas says. “She always was willing to go the extra mile and take advantage of all opportunities potentially available to her.”

After graduation, Armstrong plans to continue working in violence prevention as an advocate and counselor. She hopes to get a master’s degree in psychology or public health to better understand the roots of sexual violence and domestic violence.

Posted in News | Tags advocate, anti-violence, awareness, discussion, domestic violence, education, Green Dot, Hayley Armstrong, major, programs, psychology, sex, sexual assault, sexuality, Stop Violence, student, Vagina Monologues, Violence Prevention & Women's Resource Center

POPULAR

  • COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Hub Opening at Cal Poly Pomona

    9034 views / Posted February 4, 2021
  • Newly Launched Vaccination Hub at CPP to Serve Thousands in the Region

    2320 views / Posted February 5, 2021
  • Budget Brief: Early Exit Program Helps Fill Budget Gap, Prompts Reimagining Work

    777 views / Posted February 23, 2021
  • CLASS Dean Iris Levine

    CLASS Act: Dean Levine Sets High Bar for Herself and Others

    770 views / Posted January 11, 2021
  • A group photo of Cal Poly Pomona’s Reading, Advising, and Mentoring Program

    RAMP Receives $2.2 Million Grant For Underrepresented Students

    708 views / Posted January 15, 2021

Picture of the Day »

Kid on Mom

Kid on Mom

Cal Poly Pomona in the News »

Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants

This article was originally published by The New York Times.

Best of the Inland Empire: Best Schools / College


CPP opens mass COVID-19 vaccination site


Cal Poly Pomona opens COVID-19 vaccination site


Cal Poly Pomona Site Capable of Vaccinating Up To 10,000 a Day Opens Friday


Tags
advocate, anti-violence, awareness, discussion, domestic violence, education, Green Dot, Hayley Armstrong, major, programs, psychology, sex, sexual assault, sexuality, Stop Violence, student, Vagina Monologues, Violence Prevention & Women's Resource Center
About Cal Poly Pomona Feedback Privacy Accessibility Document Readers

3801 West Temple Avenue,Pomona, CA 91768

©2018 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

All Rights Reserved