Shifting Cultural Views Around Consent; VIP Center Director Hopes to Make Impact

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 31, 2020) — Taryn Henning has always had a passion for creating change. 

With a long-standing history of work in the field of youth development, Henning finds peace through her ability to work with young adults and engage them through education. 

"My first job in violence prevention was here in Lexington at Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center," Henning said. "I was attracted to prevention education there as a way to engage young people in an important social justice issue."

Her work with Ampersand eventually led her to the University of Kentucky and in August 2019, Kirsten Turner, associate provost for academic and student affairs, announced Henning as the new director of the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center.

“Taryn has become an invaluable member of our community here at the university,” Turner said. “Her background and experience will allow her to serve our campus so that it may be a safer space for all.” 

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nearly 1 in 3 college students say they have experienced some form of interpersonal violence (IPV), while more than half of all college students say it is difficult to identify dating abuse, indicating that many are not equipped to deal with IPV.

Birthplace of the Green Dot Program, one of the nation's most widely used sexual violence prevention programs, UK is paving the way for campus safety, equipping students with the tools and resources necessary to help survivors of IPV and prevent occurrences in the future. Henning, who has championed IPV prevention throughout her leadership experiences, hopes to continue the tradition of groundbreaking safety programs, pushing the boundaries of what is possible at the university. 

UKNow sat down with the office’s new director to discuss the dual mission of providing support services to those who have experienced sexual assault and offering education and outreach programs to decrease the incidence of sexual assault on campus. 

UKNow: How does it feel to be named director of the VIP Center?

Henning: For me it’s a great honor and one that is incredibly humbling. I ascribe to a servant leadership philosophy, so I view this new identity as one that’s purpose is to be of service to our UK community in the arena of IPV prevention.

UKNow: What is the goal of the VIP Center? How is the center's role different from the role of the university’s Title IX office?

Henning: The VIP Center has two main goals and purposes. The first is to provide confidential advocacy services to anyone on campus who has been affected by IPV, whether they be a survivor themselves or the supportive friend or family of a survivor. Advocacy needs look different for each individual, so we work to cater our services to each person who needs them. Our other goal is to educate and engage our community in IPV prevention. While our advocacy services are incredibly important, we should strive to work ourselves out of business through our prevention efforts.

VIP and Title IX do share some similar roles, but there are key differences in what each office does. While Title IX also offers advocacy, it is not confidential; a report must be filed with them. VIP’s confidentiality can be an attractive option for individuals who may not be sure whether or not they want to file any kind of report or who may want to explore all their options before making that decision. Both offices do educational presentations, as well. Title IX focuses more on campus policies and procedures, whereas VIP focuses more on what IPV can look like and how we may prevent it. Title IX’s scope is also more broad than VIP’s, encompassing discrimination and harassment in addition to sexual misconduct. To the benefit of our survivors on campus, we work closely with Title IX and often collaborate on presentations and trainings.

UKNow: "Consent Culture" is a term we now hear used quite often. Can you explain what that term means and why this culture is important at the university?

Henning: Consent culture has a lot of different definitions, but at its core it’s a culture in which asking for consent is normalized rather than being viewed as something that is embarrassing or that “kills the mood.” Another important component of consent culture is respecting someone’s decision if they do not consent to engage in an activity or a relationship. It’s an incredibly important piece of our work because when we seek the consent of partners and when we are respectful of their ability to give or decline consent, we don’t have sexual or dating violence. There are lots of other elements that go into this idea, but shifting cultural views around consent is one of the key elements to IPV prevention.

UKNow: In light of recent incidents on campus, what programs and resources does the VIP Center offer to create awareness surrounding IPV?

Henning: Currently, our two main programs are Green Dot and #ConsentCulture. Green Dot is a bystander intervention program that trains individuals on how to recognize when IPV has happened or is about to happen and then gives participants the tools to intervene in ways that feel safe and comfortable to them. It can be a great training for folks who want to be equipped with ways to help survivors and to start being involved in prevention, and it’s something that students, faculty and staff can participate in to help keep our campus safe. 

#ConsentCulture is a peer-educator program designed for students that breaks down what affirmative consent is and how that can look. Our UK learners come from so many different backgrounds and may come to campus with different understandings of consent, or maybe it’s not something that was ever discussed intentionally with them before they got to campus. With #ConsentCulture, we work to make sure everyone has shared language and mutual understanding around consent. 

If neither of those trainings fit into what a class or group needs, we still encourage people to reach out to us, as we are able to do a variety of other programs. 

UKNow: What will the future of the VIP Center look like under your leadership? Is there any new programming you hope to roll out this year?

Henning: In recent years, VIP has lost its place on campus as a leading resource on IPV matters within UK’s community; my aim is to bring us back to that status. A large part of that effort will be to increase the number of collaborative programs we host with other departments on campus, so through new partnerships and rekindling previous ones, we anticipate new programming. We also plan to reconceptualize our #ConsentCulture programming and evolve it to encompass more than just sexual consent.

UKNow: What is the most important thing you would want people to know about your work?

Henning: The most important thing I would want people to know about our work is that we all have a place in it. Regardless of our gender, race, age or background, we all have a role to play in IPV prevention because it is something that can and does affect everyone in some capacity. It’s understandable and common that folks may feel intimidated by getting involved. IPV can be difficult to talk about, and it can seem like a daunting subject to engage in, but if we are truly going to prevent people from being harmed, we must do it together.

If you or someone you know is experiencing IPV, you can call the VIP Center at 859-257-3574. Support is available by appointment or by walk ins. The VIP Center is located in the lower Level of Frazee Hall, facing Administration Drive. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information surrounding advocacy, visit the center's website.