One in three women and one in four men will be in an abusive relationship in their lifetime, according to One Love Foundation’s Elizabeth Cowley.

Cowley led a series of workshops at the U last week focused on identifying what healthy relationships look like, how to spot red flags early, how to help a friend and where to find resources.

“One conversation can change someone’s life,” Cowley said. “And it’s usually not who we picture to be in an unhealthy relationship.”

The foundation teaches young people and communities to be “upstanders”—to get involved, ask questions about friends’ relationships and open lines of communication to have a greater chance of stopping something violent from happening.

Cowley handed out cards that listed 10 signs of a healthy relationship and 10 signs of an unhealthy relationship and had participants discuss how these signs might look in a relationship with a romantic partner, friend, colleague or even a family member.

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She also said friends should be “positive, empowering and persistent” since it takes an average of seven times for someone to leave an unhealthy relationship.

The event was sponsored by Resilient U: Healthy Relationships Working Group. President Ruth V. Watkins commissioned the working group to raise awareness and spark conversations about healthy relationships. It’s also part of campus-wide efforts to enhance safety at the U.

Campus leaders want to continue the dialogue with a number of events scheduled throughout April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

For more information about related SAAM events, visit wellness.utah.edu/SAAM.

Also, below is a list of some campus offices that are available to the U community:

• Center for Student Wellness : 801-581-7776
  • Victim-survivor advocates
  • Bystander intervention training
• University Counseling Center: 801-581-6826
• Women’s Resource Center: 801-581-6402
• Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action: 801-581-8365
• Office of the Dean of Students: 801-581-7066
• Department of Public Safety: 801-585-2677