Man up against violence leader honoured with service award

Posted: June 3, 2016 6:00 a.m.

Roz Kelsey and her team are making a positive difference on campus through the Man Up Against Violence campaign. U of R Photography

Roz Kelsey’s career as a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies leaves no doubt that she places an emphasis on social justice and embodies the ideal of as one who serves.

Since 2014, Kelsey has worked tirelessly on a remarkable violence against women prevention campaign that has grown to become a powerful social movement known as Man Up Against Violence™ (MUAV).

While the campaign began in the classroom, it quickly grew and spread across the University in the form of speakers, film presentations and discussions, and other large events involving multiple academic and administrative departments.

The MUAV movement challenges deeply held mindsets about masculinity and works to inspire men, particularly male athletes, to accept their role as advocates in a movement to prevent violence in our communities.

“It takes vision to imagine a reality where violence, particularly against women, is a subject of history books instead of newspapers,” says Dr. Harold Reimer, Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

Many leaders on the U of R campus laud the MUAV movement as an initiative that has had tangible benefits for the University’s student body.

Pat Patton, the University’s Director of Security and Operations, notes that this community-centred initiative has helped her security team “provide a safe and welcoming environment for the campus community” by, in part, “chang[ing] the way we think about sexual assault and violence against women.”

The University of Regina Alumni Association Award for Service Excellence recognizes sustained excellence in leadership by the candidate to promote and provide awareness of the university and her discipline to the public.