The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is the world's largest effort of men working to end men's violence against women. It began in 1991 when a small group of men in Canada decided men had a responsibility to urge men to speak out again violence against women. They decided that wearing a white ribbon would be a symbol of men's opposition to men's violence against women. The WRC is an educational organization that distributes information to schools throughout the year and encourages men to talk in schools, workplaces and places of worship about the problem of violence.

On Tuesday, December 7, the Aquinas College Jane Hibbard Idema Women's Studies Center (JHIWSC) will sponsor a White Ribbon Campaign booth in the Academic Building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Men will be encouraged to join the effort and wear a white ribbon. In order for a man to wear a white ribbon, he must take a personal pledge never to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women.

"Battering: Why Does He Do That?" is the title of the lecture to be presented by William Edwards, N.S.W., therapist at the YWCA of Grand Rapids Counseling Center and Co-facilitator of "Men Choosing Alternatives to Violence" treatment groups. Edwards will speak at Aquinas on Thursday, December 9 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Wege Student Center Loutit Room. Edwards will focus on the motivations for battering, the impacts on women and children in particular, as well as solutions and successful treatments. The presentation is also sponsored by the JHIWSC. Both events are free and open to the public.