January is "Stalking Awareness Month" and the Violence Prevention Project at California State University, Fresno will close out the month with an open panel on Wednesday, Jan. 30, to discuss the issue and to provide the campus with information about stalking.

The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m. in the University Student Union, Room 312-314.

It is a collaborative effort between several groups on campus with the goal to educate and promote awareness and prevention of stalking.

Formed in 2005, the Violence Prevention Project was created not only to provide education and intervention, but to provide victims with a safe place so they can be comfortable in seeking services.

Each year, more than 1 million women and 300,000 men are stalked in the United States and a recent national study indicated that 13 percent of college women are stalked each year, said Micaela Vargas, project coordinator of the program.

For more information, contact Vargas in the Women's Resource Center at 559.278.5696.

For more information contained in this release, please go to the following Web site:
Violence Prevention Project at Fresno State