Results Of First National College Student Poll
On Family Violence To Be Announced October 12th

Liz Claiborne, Inc. To Make Donation To King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence

SEATTLE (October 2, 1995) - Domestic violence is top-of-mind with college students according to a recent survey conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide on behalf of Liz Claiborne, Inc. The results of this first nationwide poll questioning college students on domestic violence will be revealed in Seattle in conjunction with Eastside Domestic Violence Program on Thursday, October 12th, 10 a.m. at Bellevue Regional Library.

In an effort to reach young men and women as they begin to make critical lifetime decisions about relationships, apparel maker Liz Claiborne, Inc. will present a pilot program of campus workshops designed to teach students how to communicate effectively and avoid abusive situations. Titled "Relationships In The Real World," the workshops will address a spectrum of behavior found in both healthy and unhealthy relationships, including a discussion of emotional, verbal and physical abuse and acquaintance rape. The workshops will stress the importance of open lines of communication and how poor interaction and other factors can be early signs of an abusive relationship.

Three pilot workshops will take place in October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In each city, Liz Claiborne, Inc. has partnered with a local domestic violence charity organization and will be making a donation of $2,500 to further their efforts in the area of family violence prevention. In Seattle, the donation will be presented by a Liz Claiborne executive to Aggie Sweeney, executive director of the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, on October 12th.

In conjunction with the results of the college poll, Eastside Domestic Violence Program will release the results of a State of Washington opinion poll of local residents on the issue of domestic violence. Residents responded to questions about how serious the problem is, where the responsibility lies for prevention and how, if at all, tax dollars should be spent on the issue.

The campus efforts and the college student poll are part of Liz Claiborne' five-year commitment to raising awareness and fostering education on family violence through its public service campaign called WOMEN'S WORK.

"This issue is very real and pervasive. It is our hope that these workshops may help stop abusive situations before they start and teach students how to help themselves and others should such a situation occur," says Jerome A. Chazen, chairman of Liz Claiborne, Inc. "Unfortunately, more than half the children who grow up in homes marred by physical, emotional or verbal abuse carry the scars, including low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, aggression and behavioral problems, into their adult lives."

Funding Domestic Violence Agencies

In conjunction with the college workshops, Liz Claiborne, Inc. is contributing funds to local family violence charities through its nationwide Charity Shopping Day. On Thursday, October 19th, the Liz Claiborne Store at Bellevue Square will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from the day's sales to its local domestic violence agency partner, the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In addition, specially created WOMEN'S WORK T-shirts ($16) and mugs ($7) will be available for sale in the Bellevue Square store during the month of October. The King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence will receive all profits from these sales.