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Roberts Wesleyan University Receives $400,000 Grant from U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women
Monies will be used to provide resources and support for the University in addressing and preventing sexual assault
Roberts Wesleyan University was informed on Sept. 23 that the University has received a nearly $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women. The monies will go to a new project to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking (DVDVSAS) on campus. Roberts will use the grant to address DVDVSAS and respond to students' needs through improved responses, education, and new prevention and awareness activities for students navigating DVDVSAS on campus. Roberts expects to launch the program in early 2025 and will be hiring a full-time director to manage these efforts over the next three years.
"We are thrilled to announce our inaugural grant from the Department of Justice. This funding will provide crucial and innovative support for our students. The success of this application is a testament to our dedicated faculty and staff, who went above and beyond their regular duties to articulate our vision and secure this opportunity. We believe this grant will significantly enhance our ability to create a safer, more conducive environment for our students' living and learning experiences," said Roberts Wesleyan University’s Senior Director of Grants and Foundations, Kirk Kettinger.
With this new award, Roberts Wesleyan University, in collaboration with Agape Counseling Services, Inc. and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, will: 1) create a coordinated community response team to oversee all planning and implementation activities; 2) provide prevention programming, including bystander intervention and ongoing prevention activities to all students on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 3) provide ongoing training to all campus law enforcement on how to effectively respond to these crimes; 4) provide access to 24-hour confidential victim services and advocacy; and 5) conduct ongoing training to all personnel in the campus resolution process.
“As a university anchored in the Christian faith, providing our students with a safe and positive experience is a priority. We will focus on prevention efforts working in partnership with campus partners and students in preventing sexual assault, stalking and domestic violence and being comfortable reporting concerns,” said President of Roberts Wesleyan University Rupert A. Hayles Jr. “Our commitment is to promote a culture of safety, including students' personal safety and emotional well-being.”
This will provide a unique opportunity for higher education institutions – like Roberts Wesleyan – to establish multidisciplinary approaches to combat DVDVSAS on college campuses. These comprehensive efforts are designed to enhance victim services, including legal services, implement prevention and education programs, and develop and strengthen security and investigation strategies to prevent, prosecute, and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
This program will support activities that develop campus-based coordinated responses among campus victim services, campus law enforcement, health care providers, housing officials, administrators, student leaders, faith-based organizations, student organizations, and disciplinary boards, enhance victim safety and the provision of assistance, and hold offenders accountable. To be effective, these responses must be linked to local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, courts, and nonprofits, nongovernmental victim advocacy and victim services organizations.
For more information on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, visit here.