Two free MCVP workshops in collaboration with International Student and Scholar Services:

Workshop: What is Harm? 

Date: Tuesday, March 17  

Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Location: 1009 Flexible Classroom, Marriott Library

What to Expect: An educational conversation-based workshop about harm and preventing it.

Additional Info: All of the University of Utah campus community is welcome! Bring a friend!

Workshop: Reading and Respecting Boundaries & Accepting Rejection 

Date: Wednesday, March 25

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Location: 1009 Flexible Classroom, Marriott Library

What to Expect: An educational conversation-based workshop about defining boundaries and rejection and how to honor them without causing harm.

Additional Info: All of the University of Utah campus community is welcome! Bring a friend!

Spring 2026 Book Club: Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, 

Join us in community to discuss Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds by Michelle Horton. In this powerful memoir, Michelle Horton tells the story of her sister Nicole Addimando, a survivor of severe domestic abuse who killed her partner. Horton chronicles her fight to free her sister from incarceration while exposing the justice system’s failures and the complex realities of intimate partner violence.

Dates: February 25| March 18 (Wednesdays)

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Location: Building 124 (MCVP), Conference Room

What to Expect: Guided discussions, divided readings, open Q&A, and the opportunity to connect with folks in your community.

Additional Info: Feel free to bring questions, comments, and any materials or other items you'd like. All are welcome, even if you can’t make it to every session.

FAQs:

• Do you have to read the whole thing to participate?
  • No! Read what you can.
• Do you have to attend every meeting if I sign up?
  • No! Join when you can.
• Who is able to join?
  • Open to everyone! Students, staff, faculty - bring a friend!
• Where can I sign up?
  • Using the button below

Day of Violence Prevention: Love Without Harm - Event Agenda

Presented by the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention in collaboration with Student Leadership Initiatives

Breakout Session A: 11 am- 12pm

1. What is Harm? McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention

   1. Location: Collegiate Room, Union Building
   2. Overview: This interactive workshop shifts the focus to recognizing and understanding harm. Through guided discussions and hands-on activities, participants will explore what harm looks like, how it can occur, and how to foster more respectful, informed relationships.

2. Love, Red Flags, and Real Talk. University Counseling Center

   1. Location: Pano East, Union Building
   2. Overview: This interactive workshop helps students learn to recognize the signs of healthy and unhealthy behaviors in romantic relationships. Through discussion, video clips, and guided reflection, participants explore topics such as communication patterns, boundaries, stress responses, and relationship dynamics. Students will learn how to identify red flags—like manipulation, isolation, or disrespect—as well as signs of healthy functioning, including empathy, accountability, and supportive connection. The session provides practical tools for seeking help, supporting peers, and fostering wellbeing within their campus community. Finally, students will participate in the Flag Exhibit, a campus wide communal art exhibit that takes place every October, featuring red flags identifying unhealthy behaviors and green flags for healthy behaviors.

3. Understanding Harm Beyond Physical Violence: A Foundation for Awareness and Support - Center for Campus Wellness

   1. Location: Saltair Room, Union Building
   2. Overview: This workshop explores how harm and violence extend beyond physical acts to include emotional, social, economic, and systemic experiences. Participants will engage in reflection and interactive discussions to better understand and recognize non-physical harm, build trauma-informed skills for responding to disclosures of harm, and identify campus resources that support individuals who have experienced harm.

Breakout Session B: 12 pm- 1 pm

1. Coercion and Consent - Center for Campus Wellness

   1. Location: Pano East, Union Building
   2. Overview: This workshop explores consent and coercion, unpacking components such as power dynamics, pressure, and gray areas that often get overlooked when we reduce consent to a simple yes or no. Through discussion and real-life examples, participants will learn skills to recognize, communicate and respect consent that honor autonomy, safety and choice.

2. Reading and Respecting Boundaries and Accepting Rejection - McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention

   1. Location: Saltair Room, Union Building
   2. Overview: Through interactive activities and roleplay, attendees will build skills for navigating boundaries with care and confidence. The session also focuses on how to accept rejection with empathy and grace, fostering more respectful and emotionally intelligent connections.

Lunch Panel: 1-2 pm - Saltair Room, Union Building

Join us for our lunch panel to discuss all things research surrounding ending relationship and sexual violence on college campuses! Lunch provided.

Meet the Panelists:

Dr. Chris Linder | Dr. Paul Rubin | Libna Noor | April Pavelka

• Dr. Chris Linder

  • Chris Linder is Department Chair and Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy and a Senior Advisor to the President. She was a victim advocate on a college campus for eight years and her research currently focuses on anti-carceral responses to sexual violence on college campsues.

• Dr. Paul Rubin

  • Dr. Paul Rubin (he/him) is an Assistant Professor and Program Director in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah. His research examines higher education policies and factors influencing the policymaking process, including governance and politics. Dr. Rubin’s research agenda draws from his professional experiences in admissions and financial aid, policy, and executive search, including a stint as a congressional fellow in the U.S. Senate.

• Libna Noor

  • As a first-generation student growing up in a refugee household, my lived experience, research, and education, have shaped my perspective. I’m passionate about bridging the gap between academia and the realities of marginalized communities like my own. My aspiration is to contribute to education and prevention, recognizing it’s not just about mitigating harm but also empowering individuals within communities to regain control of their lives while fostering safer environments, and confronting concepts that often cause discomfort, but ultimately promote accountability and holistic reintegration into the community we all belong in.

• April Pavelka

  • April works in the Office of the Dean of Students and is a third-year PhD student in Educational Leadership & Policy. Her research interests revolve around college student interpretation and understanding of sexual violence and harassment policies and procedures.

Breakout Session C: 2 pm- 3 pm

1. Using Care as Prevention with Campus Support and Intervention - Office of the Dean of Students

   1. Location: Pano East, Union Building
   2. Overview: As we end the day inspired to create a world without violence, it is also important to be familiar with the resources and support that are available to students at the University of Utah. Join Christine Magaña and Whitney Hills from Campus Support and Intervention (CSI) as they review the role of the Office of the Dean of Students and the resources available to students if they have experienced harm or realize they may have caused harm. Through case studies they will facilitate an engaging discussion of how students can utilize resources and support at the University of Utah to bridge the gap as we envision and implement new worlds without harm.

2. From Conflict to Connection: Healthy Communication Skills for Romantic Relationships - University Counseling Center

   1. Location: Saltair Room, Union Building
   2. Overview: Conflict is a normal part of close relationships — but how we handle it matters. This interactive workshop will help participants understand common communication patterns that escalate conflict and introduce practical, research-informed skills for navigating disagreements more effectively. Participants will learn how to shift from blame and defensiveness toward collaboration, express needs clearly and respectfully, and repair after conflict, all with the goal of building healthier, more connected romantic relationships.

3. Practicing Primary Prevention: First Steps Forward - McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention

   1. Location: Collegiate Room, Union Building
   2. Overview: Primary prevention is often the missing piece in efforts to address sexual and relationship violence. This interactive workshop introduces the core principles of primary prevention—a proactive approach that targets the root causes of violence before it occurs. Participants will explore real-world strategies, engage in practical exercises, and leave with tools they can use to create safer, more respectful communities.

Campus Resources:

• Victim Survivor Advocates
• University Counseling Center
• Office of Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action/ Title IX
• SafeU
• Office of the Dean of Students
• Student Health Center

The superpower we need to be cultivating now is love. Radical, unapologetic love... because our root cause , our root purpose, is love.

-Adrienne Marie Brown

Fall 2025 Book Club: Wrecked

Join us for discussion, activities, and community building as we unpack Wrecked by Maria Padian. 

Event Details:

Dates: September 17 | October 1 | October 22 | November 5 (Wednesdays)

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Location: Gardner Commons 2725 (in person)

What to Expect: Guided discussions, divided readings, open Q&A, and the opportunity to connect with folks in your community.

Additional Info: Feel free to bring questions, comments, and any materials or other items you'd like. All are welcome, even if you can’t make it to every session.

FAQs:

• Do you have to read the whole thing to participate?
  • No! Read what you can.
• Do you have to attend every meeting if I sign up?
  • No! Join when you can.
• Who is able to join?
  • Open to everyone! Students, staff, faculty - bring a friend!
• Where can I sign up?
  • Using the button below

Book Club: Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies

Join us for a compelling exploration of Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies by Andrea J. Ritchie. This book club offers a space to delve into abolitionist frameworks and primary prevention strategies while building community.

Event Details:

Dates: June 18, July 16, August 6 (Wednesdays)

Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Location: Gardner Commons 2140 + Zoom option

What to Expect: Guided discussions, divided readings, open Q&A, and the opportunity to connect with folks in your community.

Additional Info: Feel free to bring questions, comments, and any materials or other items you'd like. All are welcome, even if you can’t make it to every session.

MCVP's Annual End-of-Year Celebration 2025

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025

Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building Room 7180 (Child Hall)
1655 Campus Center Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Join us for our annual End-of-Year Celebration, where MCVP staff will share updates and reflections about this academic year. This event offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with one another, recognize our staff’s collective work, and dream about the future together.