The Women’s Gender and Equity Center is preparing to host their annual panel, “Stalking: Who Is Stalking You?”
“We’re hoping that students will be able to recognize predatory behavior and identify precautions for stalking,” said Pam Rayburn, the coordinator for the WGEC. “The take away will also be that students will be able to connect to resources and services on campus if they are a victim of stalking and know where to go.”
Sponsored by CSULB’s Not Alone @ The Beach Organization and the WGEC, the panel is a free event that will take place Thursday in the University Student Ballroom, from 6-8 p.m.
According to a press release from the WGEC, the California State University, Long Beach organization interACT will open the event. Based out of CSULB’s Department of Communication Studies, interACT is a social justice performance troupe that focuses on that performs for colleges and academic conferences across the country.
The panel will consist of experts from the Counseling and Psychological Services, University Police and Interval Crisis Shelter.
The latest CSULB Cleary Report states that one stalking incident occurred on campus in 2013.
The report defines stalking as a repeated course of conduct directed at a specific person (when based on gender or sex) that places that person in reasonable fear for his/her or others’ safety, or to suffer substantial emotional distress.
According to the University Police’s Website, stalking can include inappropriate approaches and confrontations, appearing at a place of work or residence, unwanted telephone calls, threats, threats to your family and/or friends, unwanted letters, unwanted or threatening gifts and sexual assault to name some of the ways that stalking may occur.
The panel will go into all types of stalking, including physical and cyber stalking, with interACT’s performance being based off of physical stalking, according to Rayburn
“It’s relevant to the students,” said Desiré Compusano, a graduate intern majoring in social and cultural analysis of education. “We’re on social media and the Internet, so everything that can happen on the ground can happen online.”