June 21, 2012

WASHINGTON - The University of Maryland Athletics Department joined forces with Vice President Joe Biden Thursday at the White House to help raise awareness about dating violence prevention.

Maryland director of athletics Kevin Anderson led a group of student-athletes including Tianna Hawkins (women's basketball), Iliana Sanza (women's lacrosse), Joe Vellano (football), Allison Campbell (water polo), Amanda McCann (softball), and Katy Dodds (gymnastics) to the White House for the release of a new public service announcement that will air on ESPN and various other platforms this summer.

The PSA, based on Biden's '1 is 2 Many' campaign, also features President Barack Obama, Joe Torre, David Beckham, Jeremy Lin, Evan Longoria, Eli Manning, Jimmy Rollins, and Andy Katz. The video, which can be seen here , delivers the message that dating violence is unacceptable.

In response to alarming statistics concerning dating violence and sexual assault, Biden launched the `1 is 2 Many' campaign, which focuses on a longstanding commitment to reducing violence against women, specifically on teens and young women ages 16-24.