After weeks of speaking with doctors and undergoing physical therapy, Mabrey finally felt she was ready to look at her injuries. What she saw in the mirror wasn’t the same woman she knew, one who had won beauty pageants as a child. Instead she was looking at what she describes as a horror-film monster like Freddy Krueger. More than 80 percent of her body had been burned. In that moment a flood of memories from the attack came over her.

“[My now ex-husband] might have robbed me physically, but I refused to allow him to rob me mentally, emotionally or spiritually.” – Audrey Mabrey

“I could see that butcher knife held to my throat as he attempted to rape me,” Mabrey says. “I could feel him bludgeoning me in the head over and over. I could taste the gasoline in my mouth. I could smell my burning flesh and I could hear my neighbor screaming as she rushed to my aid.”

Although it was overwhelming, Mabrey made a choice as she stared at her reflection to hold onto hope.

“My thought process in that moment was [my now ex-husband] might have robbed me physically, but I refused to allow him to rob me mentally, emotionally or spiritually,” Mabrey says.

Three years later Mabrey’s abuser was sentenced to serve life in prison and in the nine years since the attack she’s undergone many plastic surgeries to restore her former appearance as much as possible. She’s also kept her determined, positive spirit alive by traveling the country to spread awareness on domestic violence, an issue that affected more than 12 million men and women in the United States last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Confidential Campus Support 

One of her recent speaking engagements took place earlier this month at the annual Light Up the Night event, which is held every October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and is put together by . The organization provides crisis intervention, safety and security for anyone in the UCF community that’s been impacted by crime, violence and abuse.

“We give [victims] their options — the good, the bad and the ugly — ask them ‘What do you want to do?’ and listen to them,” says Lauren Portal ’11, who began working as an advocate for Victim Services in 2014. “We’re completely confidential, which is extremely important. We don’t call the police over if [victims] don’t want us to, we don’t report incidences to Title IX and things of that nature.”

On college campuses, 43 percent of women who date report experiencing some sort of violent or abusive dating behavior, with more than half of students finding it difficult to identify these problems at all, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

“Abusers are very good at presenting things in a way like they’re loving and caring about their partner.” – Christine Mouton ’02MS,

“The problem is those things happen over a long period of time and people don’t recognize them as the signs they are because they’re so incremental,” says Christine Mouton ’02MS, director of Victim Services. “Abusers are very good at presenting things in a way like they’re loving and caring about their partner, so their partner doesn’t initially perceive it as a controlling behavior.”

Changes in behavior and clothing, not wanting to hang out often and always checking in with their partner are some of the signs Mouton says to look for if you suspect someone is experiencing domestic violence.

Challenges With Coming Forward 

Victim Services has provided help to 600-800 people affected by a range of crimes each year for the past three years.

Although recent movements like #MeToo and events such as the Brett Kavanaugh investigation before his Supreme Court confirmation have increased the national conversation around sexual harassment and violence, Mouton says she hasn’t found any indicators of increased cases reported at UCF.

Men, particularly, have a hard time reporting abuse, she says. It can often feel emasculating for them to admit a woman is their abuser, although there are now more than ever before. Often the abuse takes the form of scratching, screaming and other demeaning behavior.

“We’re seeing this on both sides, in all types of relationships,” Mouton says.

How to Get Help 

Anyone seeking help from Victim Services can call the 24/7 hotline at 407-823-1200 or text 407-823-6868. They can speak with an advocate, who has at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, has completed 40 hours of victim-designation training, and regularly attends conferences and workshops to advance their training. From there, the caller will be provided with campus and community resources to find the right support for them.

“A lot of times victims won’t like to talk about it because it makes it more real, but we’re literally an ear.” – Lauren Portal ’11

“We have a relationship assessment that we give [victims when they contact us] and it goes from less serious to really serious behavior,” Mouton says. “When you put a list in front of them, once they see all those checks, it’s a reality check for them.”

The advocates will also talk through a list of reporting options with the victim, such as filing a police report, injunction or order of protection, but will never try to persuade someone to do so if they aren’t comfortable.

“A lot of times victims won’t like to talk about it because it makes it more real, but we’re literally an ear,” Portal says. “We want to listen to you. We’re not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

For more information about Victim Services, visit . You can also visit their main office in Suite 450 of the on Research Parkway or their on-campus locations on the second floor of the and the Green Dot office in the .

That’s extra impressive since the program, called Green Dot, was first introduced to the campus community in September. Since then, more than 4,500 students and faculty and staff members have been exposed to Green Dot.

“Green Dot is a bystander intervention program to help reduce power-based personal violence, which includes stalking, sexual assault, domestic violence and dating violence,” said Green Dot Strategy Coordinator Sam Vega, a first-generation college student who earned a master’s degree in Higher Education and Policy Studies from UCF in 2016.

“The premise is that small actions lead to one big impact,” she said.

Green Dot training includes becoming familiar with the “three Ds” – direct, delegate, and distract.

“Direct is going into the situation and saying, ‘Hey, that’s not cool what you’re doing, just stop,’” explained Vega. “Delegate would be calling UCFPD or calling someone that’s in the area – a bouncer, a bartender – anybody who can step in. Distract speaks for itself.”

Nearly 300 colleges and universities across the country have implemented the program, including six in Florida.

UCF is on top of the leaderboard for the 2016-2017 school year, with more than 25 students, faculty, and staff members fully trained in the program. This allows them to give the speeches that train others and keep Green Dot growing.

Campus areas such as Fraternity and Sorority Life are among those embracing Green Dot. For example, four Greek organizations now require that every member be trained.

Vega says that Green Dot helps to make “doing the right thing” more accessible.

“A lot of time we have bystanders who just don’t know what to do because they are emotionally shocked by what’s going on,” Vega said. “What we try to do is ensure them that they can work through those barriers and actually intervene in a realistic way that’s also comfortable for them.”

The new Green Dot office will officially open its doors to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

Green Dot UCF is located in the John T. Washington Center Breezeway across from the book store, and it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

With Spring Break fast approaching, Safe Knight Week, which runs March 6-10, is an opportunity to learn about self-care, violence prevention and emergency preparedness.

The week will kick off with the Safe Knight Week carnival, which will showcase the safety and wellness services at UCF and throughout the community. The carnival will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Memory Mall.

Tuesday’s theme is violence prevention, and highlights include an It’s On Us walk that will leave from Ferrell Commons at noon and a self-defense class that will start at 6 p.m. at Global UCF.

Wednesday’s events will focus on physical and mental well-being, with HIV testing at the Recreation and Wellness Center and an evening healthy cooking competition. Thursday and Friday’s events will focus on alcohol and high-risk behaviors.

Safe Knight Week is sponsored by the following offices within the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services: Wellness and Health Promotion Services, Student Health Services, Student Care Services, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Student Government Association, Counseling and Psychological Services and Recreation and Wellness Center. Co-sponsors of this year’s Safe Knight Week are: the Department of Security and Emergency Management; UCF Police Department; Green Dot; and Environmental Health and Safety.

Green Dot is a national curriculum that teaches people how to safely intervene in dangerous situations. The program was launched at UCF last week with a party in front of the Student Union, where an SUV wrapped in Green Dot logos and messaging also was unveiled.

Sunday, Sept. 18, is National Green Dot Day of Action, and UCF will observe the day by hosting two training courses.

In its pilot year at UCF, Green Dot is training student-leaders from Fraternity & Sorority Life, Student Government Association and LEAD Scholars to deliver the Green Dot message to other students.

Sunday’s training will be a deeper dive into Green Dot for these students. Over time, the program will branch out to additional peer influencers.

Samantha Vega, the Green Dot coordinator at UCF, has been working behind the scenes on Green Dot for the last several months and is happy to see the program being implemented.

“It is exciting to know there are so many students, faculty and staff members excited about the program,” Vega said. “I think it makes UCF feel safer and allows for Knights to feel like someone in their community will intervene should they ever be in dangerous situation.”

Green Dot teaches people how to safely step in using the three D’s: Direct for directly approaching the situation, Delegate for calling for help, and Distract for taking attention away from a potentially dangerous situation.

The program has been implemented at high school and college campuses across the country to create a culture change and reduce acts of violence.

“My hope is that people begin to realize the power they have to help a fellow Knight,” Vega said. “We often fall into the bystander effect, where we assume someone else will jump in and in reality that someone is us. Giving students, staff, and faculty this power will only make our community safer.”

To learn more about Green Dot, go to .

The dots aren’t an illness or fancy new plants. Instead, the green dots represent individual acts of bystander intervention, when somebody recognized the signs of interpersonal violence and stepped in.

More green dots mean an aware community that’s empowered to intervene—and that’s UCF’s goal.

Green Dot UCF officially launches Thursday, Sept. 8, with a block party outside of the Student Union. Games, activities and speakers will go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Green Dot’s nationally-utilized bystander intervention curriculum will be presented to students and faculty and staff members over the next 5 years at least thanks to a grant from Florida’s Department of Health.

Green Dot has been implemented at high school and college campuses across the country to create a culture change and reduce acts of violence.

Although a gut instinct that tells people to intervene when they see an act of violence may kick in, often people don’t know how to step in safely.

That’s where Green Dot comes in.

Green Dot relies on peer-to-peer training to educate about the three D’s on violence prevention: Direct for directly approaching the situation, Delegate for calling for help, and Distract by taking attention away from a potentially dangerous situation.

In its pilot year at UCF, Green Dot is focused on training student-leaders from Fraternity & Sorority Life, Student Government Association and LEAD Scholars to deliver the Green Dot message to other students. Additional peer influencers will receive Green Dot training over time.

To learn more about Green Dot, go to . Click to watch a video previewing Thursday’s launch.