Elizabeth Terhorst
Domestic Abuse Prevention Student Organization
Three Pillars Of Prevention
Education
Education is the first step towards creating a change in our culture surrounding domestic violence and abuse. Staying informed on what healthy relationships look like, what consent is, and signs of abuse are of the utmost importance. By providing educational materials and working with Counseling/Psychological Services on the IU Indianapolis campus, we were able to bring awareness/support to survivors and prevent more people from falling victim to unsafe situations via handouts, presentations, and community nights.
Advocacy
Taking a stand and being vocal about the full extent of domestic violence and how it impacts all of us is how we get the epidemic to stop. Events like Take Back The Night and Walk A Mile In Her Shoes are things we helped organize/participate in to help create the culture change on campus. Beyond that, alongside my co-president, we had our fundraiser for Domestic Violence that ended up with us being able to donate thousands of dollars to domestic violence shelters in the greater Indianapolis area.
Support
By providing informational materials and safe places to be on campus, we were able to support many different suvivors at the collegiate level, and the work we did at domestic violence shelters in the greater Indianapolis area servicing the residents helped to continue the support they recieve and bring some fun into their days. Mainly, we hosted children's activities for the residents and their families to give the parents a chance to breathe and the kids a chance to let all of their silliness out.
Take Back the Night 2025
Why?
Andrea Jacobson, graduated from IUPUI in 2023, founded DAPSO in 2019 as a means to provide a safe space on campus for survivors of domestic abuse and violence. With her peers, she was able to assemble a close-knit executive board that hosted events and provided educational materials to the campus. When some traction was built, they were able to start hosting events and partnering with domestic violence shelters in the area to provide serivices to the residents. In 2022, she was able to recruit two freshmen, Danijela Bastaic and Elizabeth Terhorst, to take over the club as she transitioned into her PhD program post-bachelors.
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As a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault, it was amazing to see (almost the very day I stepped on campus) people doing work to provide support and camraderie to others who had that lived experience. Throughout my time as the external president of DAPSO, I worked mainly with the off-campus aspects of the job. Dani, the internal president, organized the on-campus portions. Together, we were able to host month events on and off campus and helped organize Take Back the Night for Sexual Assault Awareness month on campus. The work we've done has touched many lives, including our own. Our freshman year, WRTV asked to interview us for an article, ​ but we were not told to the full extent of what the article was to entail. While Danijela and I both believe in the value of reporting assaults to the police, we also want to hold space and remind people that it's okay to not be ready to report your experience. It's scary and it can be hard to feel fully supported, but it's important to us at DAPSO that you know you will be supported either way.
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Sadly, due to unforseen circumstances, Danijela and I had to end our club rather than keep it ongoing. It was a decsion made with a lot of thought and a lot of hurt about it ending, but we did not have the means or personale to keep it going. 2019-2026 was a fantastic run, and it will be something that sticks with so many people for a long time. But, we had to say our goodbyes and remember all the love that went into DAPSO from its inception in 2019 to when we had to close our doors upon graduation.
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Check Out The Instagram
currently @dapso_iui, formerly @dapso_iupui
