January is National Stalking Awareness Month

January 2025 is National Stalking Awareness Month (#NSAM2025), an annual call to action to recognize and respond to this misconduct which causes fear and distress. The national theme for NSAM 2025 is Know It, Name It, Stop It. The university's Compliance Office is calling on the campus community this month to know what stalking is, name stalking when you recognize it, and do your part to stop stalking and support victims.

Stalking is defined as engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress. Stalkers use technology and in-person tactics to watch, contact, threaten, exploit and frighten their victims. Common stalking tactics include unwanted calls, texts, emails, messages, following and watching victims and showing up uninvited at social events, homes and workplaces. Stalking is prohibited by university policy, and is often criminal. 

The university community is encouraged to join together to know, name and stop stalking. Consider taking online training to better understand what behavior constitutes stalking. Learn more about the definition of stalking in university policy and criminal law at the NSAM 2025 website. There you can also find support and resources available to victims, links to hotlines & protective services, events, campus resources, and download a Zoom or Teams background. Attend the National Stalking Awareness Month resource fair on the U of A mall on January 23rd from 10 am to 1 pm. If you or someone you know needs support, resources are available for employees on the Office of Institutional Equity employee support website. Resources for students are available on the student support website.