Criminal justice major Dominique Munn knows that there are safety measures already in place on the Mary Baldwin campus, and students are generally aware of potential threats around them. But by bringing a chapter of the fast-growing organization Help Save the Next Girl (HSTNG), Munn is helping elevate awareness of predatory danger, and hopefully preventing a tragedy.
Tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. Munn and other student organizers will kick off the launch of HSTNG in the Student Activities Center ballroom. The event will welcome law enforcement from around the region and there will be prizes and promotional giveaways.
The organization was established in honor of Morgan Dana Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who was abducted and murdered in 2009. The foundation fosters mutual respect and camaraderie with young men, and continually develops vital relationships with media and law enforcement to help quickly disseminate urgent information, such as about a missing person alert. HSTNG also provides outreach support to victims’ families and endorses legislation to promote safety practices throughout the community.
“The Mary Baldwin chapter of HSTNG will host events on campus that will hopefully help students think twice about certain situations that may compromise their safety or the safety of others,” said Munn, a senior from Hampton. “We will offer safety tips and push the idea of not being another statistic and the importance of caring about oneself and other girls they care about. This is helping to save the next girl.”
Tomorrow’s event is sponsored by the criminal justice club and the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership. Munn said she would like to see everyone on campus participate in the HSTNG movement—wearing the bracelets and reading and signing the organization’s pledge.
“It is important to have a chapter of HSTNG because it promotes safety and awareness in reference to violence against women. And here at Mary Baldwin, women lead the way,” Munn said. “The practice of ‘academics first and safety always,’ goes hand-in-hand with creating an environment that is comfortable and conducive to learning.”