Brightly colored statistics covered campus sidewalks yesterday, providing passersby with information on the frequency of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Groups including the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), Womyn's Concerns and the Center for Women Students will be sponsoring a variety of programs geared toward raising Penn State's awareness of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

"People tend to think of relationship violence as something more affecting women in their 30s," said Jaime Fenton, graduate assistant of the Center for Women Students. "The reality is most relationship violence occurs with women between the ages of 18 and 29."

Yesterday, Fenton led a program featuring a discussion and a showing of the video No Safe Place: Violence Against Women. The video includes the stories of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Alex Jenkins (junior-English) attended the program as a member of Peers Helping Reaffirm, Educate and Empower (PHREE), a group cosponsoring the discussions.

"I liked that they talked to the perpetrators about what they were thinking," she said.

Fenton will lead two other such programs this week. Conspiracy of Silence will be shown tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m., and Battered will be shown on Friday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Both programs will take place in the Center for Women Students Resource Room in 120 Boucke and will include time for questions and discussion.

Other events this week include information tables set up today through Thursday in the HUB-Robeson Center sponsored by FMLA and Womyn's Concerns.

At the table, people will be able to pick up purple ribbons to show support for ending domestic violence, get information about statistics and resources, and donate different items to the Centre County Women's Resource Center's wish list.

These items will be posted both at the table and on channel 72.

Tatiana Diaz (junior-political science) is the equality and finance chair for FMLA. She said this year's activities represent efforts to bring together different campus resource groups.

"We're trying to establish a tight relationship between the groups on campus and the Women's Resource Center," she said.

These events are designed to bring attention to what many feel are very underreported crimes.

"I think it's a bigger problem on campus than most people realize," Jenkins said.

Diaz said domestic abuse is more widespread than most people think.

"It's so common everywhere, in every town, every city, every country," she said.

"It's just there, and people become used to not talking about it."

Fenton said friends play an important role in helping situations of abuse but many feel reluctant to get involved in a situation where they know abuse is taking place.

"People are afraid that something will happen to the friendship if they come forward and say something," she said. "They often don't realize the person's life is in danger."