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P.      Investment Committee Report
Ms. Wickliffe, chair of the Investment Committee, reported that the committee met on Monday in a special session to interview finalists in the absolute return manager search and authorized the staff to perform on-site visits of three managers and subsequently authorize the Purchasing Division to enter contract negotiations with the managers if the results of the on-site visits are satisfactory. Additionally, the committee authorized the Purchasing Division to enter into contract negotiations with two new opportunistic private equity managers. All new managers are hired as a result of an RFP (Request for Proposals) process under the supervision of the university's Purchasing Division.
Q.      Student Affairs Committee Report
Ms. Haney, chair of the Student Affairs Committee, reported that the committee met that morning. October is domestic violence awareness and prevention month, and the committee had a presentation by Dr. Dorothy Edwards, who is the director of the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center on campus. Dr. Edwards is a person whose passion for her work has absolutely no boundaries. The report was very informative.
One of the main reasons the university has the VIP Center is to reduce and eliminate power based personal violence. It is to reduce the number of victims that are on campus. This particular center has seen a growth in everything that it has done in the past four years. It currently has a diverse group of over a 1,000 volunteers, and this number is growing rapidly. It is probably one of the most diverse groups on campus. Every ethnic group of students is heavily represented. Every type of student organization or student interests group has students who are involved with this program. They are trying to find a way to connect and educate the campus. Student volunteers are absolutely the key for talking about prevention and trying to change the culture where unfortunately violence is still being a part of everyday life. They have developed the "Green Dot" Campaign. The small "Green Dot" pin worn by faculty, staff, and students means that person has committed to change the cultural set up and to express values of safety and promote a safe campus.
Approximately one in three female students on campus will become a victim of some type of violence whether it is physical abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking while they are on campus. That sounds horrible, and it is horrible. It is also the norm for campuses across the United States. It is not just indicative of something that goes on at UK.
There is a critical need to inform the students, the faculty, and the staff and to help them help others in this type of situation. As a result, they developed a program called Students Educating and Empowering to Develop Safety or a SEEDS program. This program is approximately a five-hour training session, and it encourages students. It teaches students to recognize situations and moments so they can either be protectors of themselves or they can help other people around them to avoid violent situations. There could be approximately 5,000 students trained by the end of this year.