Program to end violence against women wins grant
The university has been awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant to support efforts to end violence against women on campus. The goals of the grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Violence Against Women, are to train undergraduate and graduate interns to provide peer education and advocacy to student communities.
Their work is aimed at changing those aspects of the campus culture that perpetuate attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that result in the abuse of women and sexual and relationship violence, according to Carole Pertofsky, director of health promotion services at Vaden Health Center. The money also will be used to strengthen victim assistance services and support, as well as fund campus-wide training regarding these issues to faculty and staff—especially law enforcement, judicial panelists, residential staff, clinical care providers and student services specialists.
In addition to supporting internships, the grant will fund staff at the Center for Relationship Abuse Prevention and in the Men Against Violence Program, as well as additional hours at the YWCA Sexual Assault Center at Vaden.