UNMC_Acronym_Vert_sm_4c
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Domestic & Dating Violence

Domestic violence includes any felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim, by a person with who the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence law of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence of the jurisdiction.

Dating violence includes violence committed by a person who is or has been in a relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

What to do

If you are in a relationship involving domestic or dating violence:

  • Call 911 if you are in IMMEDIATE DANGER.
  • Go to a safe place.
  • Seek medical assistance if needed.
  • Preserve any physical evidence of the violence. If the crime occurred in your home do not clean or straighten until the police have had an opportunity to collect evidence.
  • Report the offense to campus or local police. If an individual needs assistance in notifying authorities, university officials will assist them in doing so. 
  • Call a friend, a family member, or someone else you trust and ask him or her to stay with you. Let your friends know how they can help you.
  • Talk with a confidential advocate who is trained to assist with dating/domestic violence.  Advocates are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 
  • Develop a safety plan. Include things like changing your routine, arranging place to stay, and having a friend go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the offender shows up at your residence, classroom, work or somewhere else.
  • Consider getting a court order/protection order that tells the offender to stay away from you. Counselors and domestic abuse centers can assist you in filling out the paperwork. Your campus resource list provides local contact information for counselors and centers.
  • Students and Employees who are in domestic/dating violence situations have access to university assistance in changing academic, living, working, and transportation situations after an alleged incident. If the request is made by the student, employee or complainant and if such changes are reasonably available, accommodations to minimize burden on the student or employee.
To file a complaint with the university, students, staff and faulty may contact: Faculty and staff may also contact:
Signs of Emotional Abuse
  • Name calling, insults you or continually criticizes you.
  • Humiliates you in public.
  • Does not trust you and acts jealous or possessive.
  • Tries to isolate you from family and friends.
  • Constantly checks on you, monitoring where you go, who you call and who you spend time with.
  • Blames you for problems in the relationship.
  • Does not want you to work.
  • Controls finances or refuses to share money.
  • Punishes you by withholding affection.
  • Threatens to disclose a secret.
  • Threatens suicide if you assert independence.
  • Threatens to hurt you, your family or your pets.
Signs of Physical Abuse
  • Damages property when angry (throws objects, punches walls, kicks doors).
  • Pushed, slapped, bitten, kicked or strangled you.
  • Abandoned you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place.
  • Scared you by driving recklessly.
  • Used a weapon to threaten or hurt you.
  • Forced you to leave your home.
  • Trapped you in your home or kept you from leaving.
  • Prevented you from calling the police or seeking medical attention.
  • Hurt or threatened or hurt someone you care about.
  • Used physical force in sexual situations.