The Women’s Center and the Office of Student Life recently received a $186,359 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce violence against women on campus.
Office of Student Life Assistant Dean Sheryl Eyster said the groups have plans to use the money over the next two years to start a new program and to expand and strengthen current violence prevention programs. Eyster said she hopes the changes will further involve the campus and community in ending violence against women.
The new program is based on a community engagement model, which Eyster said has never been implemented in a University setting. She said the program is designed to get leaders from different campus groups such as the greek system, residence halls and Family Housing to come together and create violence prevention programs based on values and morals of each community.
Eyster said these community leaders will be able to request funding for their violence prevention programs in the form of “mini” grants.
“This allows them to make the changes, and it places the decision-making on their end,” she said. “It gives them ownership of the issue.”
Eyster said she hopes the grant will also allow the University to utilize resources and work closely with two local violence prevention groups, Womenspace and Sexual Assault Support Services.
SASS Community Education Coordinator Michelle Edwards said she thinks the grant will be an effective way to do more outreach on campus.
“There will be more resources to put in the direction of Family Housing and the greek system,” she said. “I think a lot of people think this might be where it’s needed the most.”
The grant money will also be used to expand law enforcement training with the Department of Public Safety, Eyster said.
Additionally, the groups plan to refine programs for incoming students, whether through residence halls or in brochures handed out to students, Eyster said.
Women’s Center Office Coordinator Lori Brown said the money will also be used to support the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team, an internship program that educates about sexual assault, to help pay for its outreach efforts and project programming.
Brown said she hopes the grant will work in a way that reaches the community and helps change the norms that cause sexual violence.
“I hope the program teaches people about sexual empowerment and how to have healthy relationships,” she said.
To track the grant’s effectiveness, the Institute of Violence and Destructive Behavior will collect data for the next two years and report back to the groups.