The Toolkit for Preventing Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking in the Community College Context is designed to increase the capacity of community colleges to prevent interpersonal violence among students. It is organized in nine steps: Reflect on Past Efforts Identifying Your Community Identify and Engage Stakeholders Identify Needs and Assets Select Programs Tailor Programs Plan Your Evaluation Implement Programs Evaluate Progress and Share Results The tools included were created based on findings from an accompanying literature review, which includes results from key informant interviews, surveys, and focus groups; peer-reviewed literature; and best practices for preventing interpersonal violence within the community college context. Download Community College Toolkit
The Toolkit for Preventing Interpersonal Violence among Students Studying Abroad is designed to increase the capacity of colleges to prevent interpersonal violence among students who participate in study abroad programs. It is organized to correspond with the four stages of the study abroad experience: Institutional Planning Pre-Departure Post-Departure/Immersion Return/Reintegration The tools included were created based on findings from an accompanying literature review, which includes results from key informant interviews, surveys, and focus groups; peer-reviewed literature; and best practices for preventing interpersonal violence within the study abroad context. Download Study Abroad Toolkit
During the month of April, colleges and universities will host educational and awareness-raising events and activities to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In their 2016 article “How Prevalent is Sexual Assault on College Campuses?” authors Lisa Fedina, Jennifer Holmes, and Bethany Backes write that women; first -and-second-year students; sorority members; racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities; and students with a history of sexual victimization have a higher prevalence of being sexually assaulted. For their study based on 15 years-worth of data, the authors concluded school administrations should have an understanding of the prevalence and types of sexual victimization occurring on their campuses. College administrators can’t monitor every campus activity. Maintaining a healthy, respectful, and inclusive campus environment is often predicated on the choices and maturity of students. College administrators are responsible for establishing a campus culture that values the safety of every student—and for holding students and faculty who jeopardize that safety accountable. When institutions prioritize creating a culture of sexual assault prevention and awareness for everyone, the risk for sexual assault is diminished. Fedina, Holmes, and Backes suggest that there are cultural and contextual differences between small private liberal arts schools, large public universities, community colleges, and trade schools, but […]
The Toolkit for Preventing Retaliation After Sexual Assault within the College Context is designed to increase the capacity of colleges to prevent students from experiencing retaliation related to sexual assault reports.
Many communities and campuses across the country commemorate the strength and spirit of its Native Americans and their invaluable contributions to the country in November. College campuses often lead the way on celebrating the diversity, endurance, rich histories and stories of the people whose identities and sacrifices are woven into the tapestry of America’s narrative. For our collective memory and safety, it is vital that our institutions of higher learning create a climate where Indigenous traditions and cultures are not lost or diminished. When we honor the legacy of Native Americans, we ensure their resilience is not forgotten. When we honor their legacy, we ensure their safety is prioritize. And when we honor their legacy, we must also remember the role of Indigenous women in the early tribes. Native American women had an equal role beside the men in Native society before Europeans arrived on these shores over 500 years ago. These women also had agency over their own bodies and sexuality. Native American society forbade rape. For instance, the Powhatan tribe banished a man from the tribe for raping a woman. Historians believe European men judged Indigenous women they encountered by Eurocentric Christian values and mores. Native women fought […]
From September 15 to October 15, communities and campuses around the country celebrate culture and history of Hispanic people are celebrated and honored. September is also Campus Safety Month for colleges and universities, making it a perfect time to shed light on the importance of campuses providing culturally competent resources and support to Latinx and Hispanic students. Creating a safe campus starts with affirming every students’ cultures and lived experience, and that starts with understanding what certain terms we use mean—and what terms students prefer. Though Latinx and Hispanic are often used interchangeably, “Hispanic” broadly refers to people of Spanish-speaking descent, while “Latino/a” (or the more gender-neutral term “Latinx”) refers to residents of the U.S. who trace their ancestry to Latin America. The Impact of Gender Roles Understanding these and other cultural touchstones of Hispanic, Latino, and other communities, campuses can provide effective and culturally appropriate support and resources for Hispanic survivors. A student’s country of origin and generation may have a significant influence on how they respond after experiencing dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Traditional gender roles, machismo, and marianismo, strong family values called familismo, fear of shame, and law enforcement all play significant roles when […]
Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking impact individuals across all races, ethnicities, socio-economic levels, genders, sexual orientation, and levels of education. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the impact on different populations and explore ways to improve prevention and response efforts, while taking into consideration different factors that can impact diverse student populations. Data published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that one in three (34.4%) Latinas experienced physical violence, sexual violence, and/ or stalking from an intimate partner in their lifetime. The same report indicated that 18.5% of Hispanic men had experienced sexual violence during their lifetime Download Document
Message from Office for Civil Rights (OCR) – Department of Education: We wanted to share two newly released Title IX resources with you, which we hope you can pass along to anybody you think will be interested. First, OCR issued the following resource: Questions and Answers on the Title IX Regulations on Sexual Harassment (July 2021) and a related Appendix. The Q&A clarifies how OCR interprets schools’ existing obligations under the 2020 amendments to the Department’s Title IX regulations, including the areas in which schools have discretion in their procedures for responding to reports of sexual harassment. The Appendix provides examples of Title IX procedures from a variety of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools that may be adapted and helpful to schools in implementing the 2020 amendments. OCR also just posted the transcript from the Department’s recent virtual public hearing on Title IX, held from June 7 to June 11, 2021. The hearing provided OCR with the extraordinary opportunity to hear the views of more than 280 students, educators, and other members of the public on a variety of issues related to Title IX—along with many written comments from people throughout the country. We are grateful for the participation of […]
This year marked 20 years since April was first recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and while there has been significant progress has been made, there still remains a great deal of work to be done.
Continue ReadingSexual assaults can have a tremendous impact on the mental and physical health of the women that experience them, making it very important that campuses support survivors to enable their success.
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