SNHU Agents of Change Podcast · SNHU Social Sciences

Season 5 Episode 4: Breaking Barriers: Supporting Students Experiencing Domestic Abuse

·26 min·1 clip

Abuse can look kind and supportive, which makes it hard for students to recognize control.

1. SNHU Agents of Change centers on breaking barriers for students experiencing domestic abuse in educational settings. 2. Dr. Amanda Dolan hosts Beth Anderson, Dr. Shauna Moore Reynolds, and Dr. Carolyn Progesi, and each guest brings campus or clinical experience with survivors. 3. The episode asks how universities can recognize abuse, respond on campus, and help survivors persist in school. 4. The guests say a major warning sign is a change in behavior, such as missed classes, late assignments, and reduced engagement. 5. Beth Anderson adds that no communication, inconsistent explanations, or silence from a student can also signal trouble. 6. Amanda cites National Domestic Hotline research showing one in three college women have been victims of dating abuse. 7. She also cites the same report's figure that 43% of college women report violent or abusive dating behaviors, including physical, sexual, digital, or verbal abuse. 8. The guests describe the 18-to-24 age range as a time when students are figuring out values, friendships, and healthy relationships. 9. Dr. Moore Reynolds says abuse can be confusing because a controlling partner may also show kindness, give flowers, or appear supportive. 10. Dr. Progesi notes that peers may normalize abuse when they have seen yelling, screaming, or hitting in their own homes. 11. Beth Anderson says students can feel shame because they thought they should have known better or recognized the situation earlier. 12. Amanda says the Women's Center conversation is important because many students still do not know how to define what healthy treatment looks like. 13. Beth Anderson describes campus programming that includes consent education, healthy relationship education, stalking awareness, and a 'red flag, green flag' campaign. 14. She also says SNHU trains student groups, resident assistants, and university employees to recognize signs such as withdrawal or missed classes. 15. Amanda asks about men on campus, and Beth Anderson says the Women's Center exists for everyone and works to include men in the conversation. 16. Beth Anderson names Take Back the Night and a men's group as examples of campus engagement around gender equity and patriarchy. 17. The tone is practical and discussion-based, with the hosts moving between research, campus practice, and personal experience. 18. The format is a roundtable interview with repeated back-and-forth answers and several direct references to students, advisors, counselors, and campus resources. 19. Students, educators, and survivor-support staff will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a purely theoretical debate on domestic abuse may skip it.

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