This is the article that I wrote for class this week. It was also published in The New Hampshire on Tuesday, September, 27.
On Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011, SHARPP held its first “Party on the Block” event at Wolff House, their new location. SHARPP, the Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program, organized this event to promote their newly renovated location and to spread awareness to students.
SHARPP was joined at this event by representatives from Health Services, the UNH Counseling Center, the UNH Police Department, and the Durham Fire Department.
Dawn Zitney, the Media Outreach Coordinator for SHARPP explained that they were joined by these other organizations at the event to “involve all of our neighbors that we work with.”
The “Party on the Block” was organized by Zitney and Maggie Wells, the Outreach Coordinator for SHARPP.
The event featured a live DJ, informational tables, a raffle, and tours of Wolff House. Tents set up on the front lawn covered tables sponsored by Health Services and the UNH Counseling Center, along with free snacks for visitors. Students, faculty, and staff all showed up for the event, although turnout may have been slightly diminished by the rain.
Zitney said that the purpose of the event was to “encourage people to visit our new space.” SHARPP’s new location, Wolff House, is the former home of CFAR, the Center for Academic Resources; CFAR has since relocated to Smith Hall.
Previously located in Verrette House, SHARPP moved to their new space as a result of the construction of the new Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. Their former location was less than ideal, with offices located on the first and third floors, separated by unrelated offices on the second floor. “To be able to gather in [a] continuous space is something we’ve always wished for,” said Mary Mayhew, the Program Director of SHARPP.
The new location has a “better flow” and is a “big improvement” over their previous office space, according to Wells.
Renovations to Wolff House began last winter, allowing SHARPP to move into their new home last spring, on May 26. According to Mayhew, the renovations were mostly cosmetic work. The carpet was stripped, revealing hardwood floors, and the walls were painted.
SHARPP’s objective for the event was to make students more aware of where they are now located and that their new home is a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. Each staff member’s office is a warm, personalized environment; most include couches and relaxed sitting areas.
Mayhew wants students to know that “we’re here, we’re welcoming.”
Along with personal, welcoming offices, SHARPP’s new home includes a conference room on the second floor and the Advocate Room on the first floor. The Advocate Room is a living room style room where students can comfortably sit and speak with SHARPP staff members. Located at the rear of the building, the Advocate Room includes a back door through which students can leave if they feel uncomfortable exiting through the front entrance.
The conference room is a new feature that SHARPP did not have at Verrette House and is part of their plan to be “as accessible as possible,” said Mayhew.
SHARPP’s goal is “to eliminate sexual and intimate partner violence [and is done] by providing free and confidential advocacy and direct services to all survivors and their allies; and by offering culturally competent awareness and prevention programs to the University of New Hampshire community,” as stated on their website.
Mayhew wants students to know that “we’re not just a scary place to go when you’re in crisis.” SHARPP just started their own YouTube channel and has “a live chat room about healthy relationships,” said Mayhew.
SHARPP staff member are enthusiastic about helping students and informing them of their programs and resources. Ashley Fowler, who just recently joined the SHARPP staff on Tuesday, Sept. 20, is the new AmeriCorps Victim Assistant. Like the other SHARPP staff members, Fowler wants students to know that SHARPP is always accessible to them.
When students go to SHARPP with a question or a problem, “we don’t judge people, there is no right or wrong answer, [and] we help them figure out what is [a] better [solution] for them,” said Mayhew.
SHARPP’s hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, at Wolff House.
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