This academic year marks an exciting time for Carolina’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services (VPAS) — including a new location in the heart of campus, with a move to the third floor of the Student and Academic Services Building (SASB) South, suite 3307. The new space offers a setting that’s equipped to balance the privacy of individuals seeking confidential support, and programmatic needs.
“Over the last year, VPAS has emerged from a period of transition and growth into a full-capacity team dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive campus community,” said Holly Lovern, VPAS’s director. “As a team, we continue to provide comprehensive, University-wide violence prevention education and confidential services for members of our Carolina community impacted by harassment, sexual misconduct, interpersonal violence, and stalking.” Lovern guides the department’s strategic direction to build a program that is both sustainable and responsive to the campus community’s evolving needs.
A safer and more supportive campus community
VPAS is committed to proactively addressing violence prevention through education, accessible and informed support, and collaboration with campus and community partners. By increasing awareness, offering values-driven and skills-based training and programs, and equipping our community with the tools and knowledge to respond effectively, our staff strive to empower the Carolina community to foster a campus culture of support, safety, and respect.
VPAS staff have worked to revamp many prevention program offerings, including signature trainings about supporting others, bystander intervention, and safety planning. VPAS also plans to offer more workshops and events focused on other topics like healthy relationships, consent, and digital safety, in addition to collaborating with other campus resources, student organizations, and faculty and staff groups to promote support and prevention across the entire campus.
The department has also co-launched a new campaign, It Takes All Heels, with Carolina Behavioral Assessment and Management, to promote proactive, community-based strategies to prevent harm before it occurs. It empowers everyone at Carolina – students, faculty, staff, and visitors, to recognize early signs of concern, take meaningful action, and support one another. By shifting prevention from isolated responses to shared responsibility, we’re all part of a culture of care and compassion where every Tar Heel plays a role in campus safety.
In summer 2025, UNC-Chapel Hill became part of the third cohort in the What Works Study, led by The Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research at Penn State University. The three-year study aims to create and refine comprehensive hazing prevention programs through manageable, incremental steps focused on targeted prevention practices. An implementation team, led by VPAS and Student Life and Leadership, are collaborating to develop a new hazing prevention program, open to all students and student organizations, set to launch in spring 2026.
About the team
The five members of the Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services team bring a multidisciplinary, trauma-informed approach to the work.
Confidential Services Staff
Victim Services Specialists (formerly Gender Violence Services Coordinators)
Three members of the department’s team, including the victim services specialists, and the director, offer direct services and support. Although a new title, all confidential support and services remain the same, including emotional support, assistance in navigating reporting options, safety planning, resource referrals, and assistance in coordinating support for academics, workplaces, and on campus housing.
Updating the position title to victim services specialist furthers a goal to more accurately reflect the full scope of our services as we support students, faculty, and staff navigating experiences of harassment, sexual misconduct, interpersonal violence, stalking, and their intersections with hazing, workplace, and targeted violence. The new title also more closely aligns with the evolving professionalization of the victim services field. To find a time to meet with a victim services specialist, email [email protected] or call 919-962-1343.
Connor McCaffrey (MSW ‘23)
“We strive to make our services accessible and responsive to each person’s unique needs recognizing that experiences of violence can deeply affect many aspects of a person’s time at Carolina,” McCaffrey said. “Our goal is to help impacted individuals connect with care and know that they are not alone. Together, we work to foster a campus culture rooted in safety, empathy, and support.”
“The impact of gender-based violence can manifest in a variety of ways, and we have the unique role of being able to support the entire Carolina community, regardless of when or where harm occurred. This allows our confidential team to meet individuals where they are, provide information about reporting options and resources, and empower them to make the best decisions for them,” Wright said.
Prevention EDUCATION Staff
Together, VPAS’s prevention programs specialist and graduate assistant focus on prevention programs and initiatives, including awareness month programming, training, events, and other educational outreach.
Prevention Programs Specialist
Kylin Adams (MPH ‘23)
“Traditional strategies, such as training, will always have an important role in our work. However, people are likely practicing violence prevention in other ways without realizing it,” Adams said, “Every time you implement a community-building program, support someone through a difficult time, or point out when something seems harmful, you are creating an environment where we look out for one another and center each other’s well-being,” Adams said.
Graduate Assistant
Peyton Miyares (BA ‘22)
Miyares is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“It is a privilege to return to Carolina for graduate school and to bring a student perspective to VPAS. As a double Tar Heel, it’s been so rewarding to watch violence prevention efforts on campus evolve and grow and to help shape what comes next.”
Stay connected
Stay connected with VPAS to learn about student involvement opportunities to ways to help VPAS broaden our reach and impact. Check out our Get Involved page to learn more about events, how to request training, ways to keep up with VPAS, and share feedback to help inform future programming.
For confidential support and services, please email [email protected] or call 919-962-1343 to schedule a time to meet.
VPAS suite
Check out the photos below for a glimpse of our new space!
