Randolph holds seminar on identifying and responding to stalking on college campuses

Dana Fleitman, associate advisor for the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center, speaks to Randolph faculty and staff during the on-campus training session.

Randolph hosted a special campus-wide training seminar on Tuesday with Dana Fleitman, associate advisor for the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center.

The popular seminar is usually only offered through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services in Charlottesville and Roanoke three times throughout the year.

Tuesday’s training explored a variety of topics, including the prevalence, dynamics, and behaviors associated with on-campus stalking, stalking’s co-occurence with domestic and sexual violence, the use of risk assessments in stalking cases, the use of technology to stalk, and investigation strategies, as well as tools to plan for victim safety and increase offender accountability.

January 2023 marks the 19th annual National Stalking Awareness Month.

Donna Burckhard, Randolph’s awareness coordinator for the Violence Against Women Act, arranged the training to coincide with it and will present the information from the seminar to students once they’re back on campus.

“If we can give one student, one professor, or one staff member the knowledge and tools needed to assist a victim of stalking in our community,” Burckhard said, “then we are making a difference.”