Students can change their cellphone line into a “HopeLine” through Verizon’s HopeLine Campaign to become a “HopeLION.”

HopeLine is a campaign started by Verizon to help victims of domestic violence. The community can donate old or unused cellphones to help provide victims with a way to contact a loved one or friend for support and help in case of a domestic violence incident. Verizon also said that the HopeLine campaign helps to fund organizations nationwide and protect the environment while also helping domestic violence victims and survivors.

HopeLine has been brought to the university by the Office of Student Conduct and Student Outreach and Advocacy Representatives to spread the effort to help domestic violence victims and survivors.

“October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” said assistant director of the Office of Student Conduct Antoinette Alack. “S.O.A.R. saw a need to promote the campaign on campus to encourage and empower students to help aid in this national epidemic with the ‘Be A HopeLION’ domestic violence awareness initiative.” 

To donate a phone to HopeLine, students must erase any data from the phone and disconnect the phone’s service with their wireless provider. Students must also remove any storage cards and SIM cards, power off the phone and place their wireless phone from any service provider, along with the battery, charger and any accessories in a plastic bag and drop it off in the Student Conduct HopeLine bin.

“Make sure to purge all apps, contact information and other personal information from the phones before dropping them off in the Office of Student Conduct, SU 1305,” said Alack. “By donating a phone, students can empower victims and become an active part of the solution.”

Domestic violence is a national issue, and to bring the issue close to home, Alack shared her own experience with domestic violence.

“I speak from experience,” said Alack, “During my childhood, I witnessed my mother limited and isolated from her siblings and outside family. I never witnessed him hit her, but I did witness financial, emotional and verbal abuse. About 10 years ago, I gave her one of my old phones. She kept that phone on her at all times, and I saw how it actually gave her a newly owed freedom and sense of safety. My father is deceased, but during that time I afforded my mother with a ‘HopeLine.’”

Alack hopes that students will be a productive part in helping to assist domestic violence victims by helping the Office of Student Conduct pass the number of phones donated last year.

“Last year we collected 20 [phones] and would like to exceed that goal,” said Alack.

For more information on the HopeLine Campaign, visit the Office of Student Conduct home page.