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Editor’s note: This article contains mention of sexual assault and domestic violence.

After controversies and executive turnover, Vera House has found steady leadership in CEO Tricia Matthews. Wednesday marked a new covenant between Syracuse University and Vera House, highlighted by Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown’s remarks at a Vera House event on how men can help prevent violence against women.

“Everything’s back. We’re involved,” Brown said of SU’s relationship with the nonprofit. “We’re big supporters of doing the right thing.”

Vera House, an organization committed to ending domestic and sexual violence and other forms of abuse, hosted its 32nd annual White Ribbon Campaign Breakfast on Wednesday. The event serves as part of its White Ribbon Campaign, which raises funds for programming.

Last year’s honorary chair, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, symbolized the county’s faith in Vera House’s new executive leadership. This year’s honorary chair, Brown, symbolized SU’s renewed faith.

The White Ribbon Campaign began in 1991 as a response to the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. In 1989, a gunman entered a classroom at the engineering school and asked the men to leave, then killed the remaining 14 women because they were in “traditionally male fields,” said George Kilpatrick, director of education and prevention services at Vera House.

“(The White Ribbon Campaign) is a commitment that as men, we will never commit, condone or stay silent about violence,” Kilpatrick said. “Too many men are still on the sidelines, but in this game, there is no bench.”

In her remarks, Matthews said that Vera House was there to “recommit ourselves to this important work,” sharing milestones about the nonprofit’s advocacy, prevention and accountability services, including their shelter, which Matthews said houses over 325 residents yearly.

“This past year has been a testament to both resilience and progress,” Matthews said. “We face challenges head-on.”

In 2020, then-co-executive director Randi Bregman knowingly hired a registered sex offender. After a CNY Central investigation in 2022, Bregman stepped down. At the time, the university requested that Vera House include an SU staffer on its governing board in order to continue their partnership.

Vera House is included on SU’s Title IX page as an off-campus resource for SU students seeking confidential advice on sexual and relationship violence. An SU spokesperson told The D.O. Wednesday that SU does not have a formalized relationship with Vera House at this time.

“We continue to work closely with Vera House in a number of ways but do not have a formal MOU at this time,” Sarah Scalese, SU’s vice president of communications, wrote in a statement to The D.O. “We appreciate their partnership and value their contributions to the campus and central New York communities.”

Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor

The breakfast event was attended by local officials, Brown and several Syracuse football players. Brown said he has 107 players willing to be “extra help” for Vera House.

Brown shared his family’s experience with domestic violence, mentioning how his mother had him at 13 and four kids total by the time she was 21. She was a survivor of domestic violence, and Brown said he shouldered a lot of responsibility in his household when he was young. He said she could’ve found better love out there, but often survivors “stay there and sit there because that’s all you know.”

Seeing the abuse his mom went through when he was young was difficult, but it taught him how essential education about self-worth and love is for young women and men.

“It’s our job to tell these young ladies, at a young age, how important they are. There’s a young boy who’s seen this violence, this trained behavior. All he understands and knows when things don’t go his way is rage,” Brown said. “Let’s fix this trained behavior. Let’s show them love.”

The breakfast was well attended by local officials, Brown and several Syracuse football players. SU was a platinum sponsor of the breakfast, and Rebecca Shiroff, Vera House’s director of strategic partnerships and intergovernmental affairs, said SU Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie has been communicative about partnering with Vera House.

Shiroff has worked at Vera House since August, jokingly referring to herself as “the master solicitor” in her remarks. She raises money for Vera House’s initiatives, including their 24-hour crisis hotline, prevention training and the White Ribbon Campaign Walk, which is on April 24.

In addition to his role at Vera House, Kilpatrick also runs the 12 Men Model program, which mobilizes men to end misogynistic violence by having each man recruit 11 other men to the program and commit to ending violence against women.

A 12 Men Model member previously pointed out to Kilpatrick that violence against women continues because some men “‘don’t want to be that guy that interrupts the sexist comments, the homophobic comments,’” Kilpatrick recalled.

Kilpatrick said men need to be “that guy” to stand up against violence. Brown said he has 107 players willing to be “extra help” for Vera House. The right people can help break the cycle of violence, Brown said.

“Vulnerability is extremely big. It’s hard for men to get up there and tell each other their love. A lot of them don’t want to cry,” Brown said. “I cry a lot.”

Published on April 9, 2026 at 12:57 am
Contact Ben: bnbutler@syr.edu