PowerPoint Presentation - Women

1
Creating a Coordinated Campus Approach to Ending
Sexual Violence
Colleen PettersonProgram CoordinatorWomens
Resource CenterGeorgia Institute of Technology
Yvette UptonAssistant Dean/DirectorWomens
Resource CenterGeorgia Institute of Technology
2
Womens Resource Center historical overview

• Formed in 1998 through vision and persistence of
  many GT women - faculty, staff and students.
• Jennifer Orr and Vicky Pickens.
• Invented Womens Student Union.
• More than 4,000 attended programs in 06-07.
• From one graduate student to
• Two full-time professionals
• 4 to 7 students workers
• More than 40 student leaders
• 30-member Advisory Board
• Faculty, staff and alumnae.

3
Womens Awareness Month

• Womens Awareness Week developed into Womens
  Awareness Month.
• Annual celebration in March
• Take Back the Night - raise awareness/honor
  survivors.
• Over 600 people gather to participate.
• Eve Enslers The Vagina Monologues - raise
  money/awareness of violence against women and
  girls.
• Raised over 25,000 in donations to local
  community organizations.

4
Establishment of Sexual Violence Task Force

• Founded in 1995 by Dean of Students, Gail
  DiSabatino.
• Made up of students, faculty and staff.
• Housing, Greek Life, Student Health Center,
  Wellness Center, WRC, Dean of Students, Police,
  Alumni Association, Counseling Center and
  community organizations.
• Drafted and disseminated a consistent campus
  policy addressing sexual harassment and
  misconduct.
• Worked collaboratively to offer workshops on
  sexual violence when no staff to take on
  responsibilities.
• Instrumental in the hiring of a permanent,
  full-time Program Coordinator.

5
VOICE

• VOICE is a campus-wide initiative founded on the
  premise that everyone has the right to live and
  learn at Georgia Tech, free of violence or the
  threat of violence. This initiative seeks to
  empower students, faculty, and staff to confront
  the significant but largely hidden problem of
  sexual violence on campus.

6
Educational Outreach

• A 50-minute consent/policy overview for classes
  such as HPS 1040/GT1000.
• Ally Level Training
• I would be better able to help victims, and I
  feel prepared to at least give good information
  about what happened throughout the process.
  Comment from Ally Training
• Safe Sister
• Advocate Training
• I will educate my friends to help them
  understand their options should something happen
  to them. Comment from Advocate Training
• More than 350 were trained at the Ally, Safe
  Sister and Advocate levels in 2006-2007.

7
Mens Program

• We will continue to build our mens education
  programs with particular emphasis on leadership,
  consent, bystander mentality and on reducing
  victim-blaming actions.
• The new Violence Prevention Coordinator in the
  Department of Health Promotion will take the lead
  on developing this program with the input of
  colleagues and students across campus.

8
Training Highlights

• 2006-2007
• More than 2,200 students and GT community members
  were reached.
• 1,720 through TBtN, HPS and Fraternity
  presentations,
• 134 were TAs on sexual harassment, and
• 353 trained on basic information about how to
  assist a sexual violence survivor.

9
Student Code of Conduct

• January 8, 2007 new Student Code of Conduct
  adopted.
• (20) Sexual misconduct including but not
  limited to
• (a) non-consensual sexual contact including but
  not limited, to intentional and/or forcible
  touching,
• (b) non-consensual sexual intercourse including,
  but not limited to, anal, oral, or vaginal
  penetration, however slight,
• (c)sexually related offenses including, but not
  limited to, obscene, indecent behavior and/or
  exposure.
• High level case
• Typical sanctions
• Disciplinary Probation,
• Suspension Held in Abeyance or
• Expulsion

10
Theoretical Framework

• Expansion on college campuses to address SV.
• DOJ funding - important in order to jumpstart
  initiatives on campus.
• GT grant ended and proposal for additional
  funding was not approved.
• Dept. Health Promotion secured a full-time
  position but it was vacant and difficult to fill.

11
Theoretical Framework - contd

• Advocate position not funded and the only WRC
  staff member took on responsibilities to maintain
  level of trainings offered to GT community.
• January 2006 VPSA approved a new position based
  on a senior staff leaving mid-year.
• Position focuses primarily on SV advocacy and
  training.
• As of May 2007 we now have a full staff to review
  goals and set next steps to continue our efforts
  to end SV at GT.

12
Toolkit to End Violence Against Women, (2001)

• Extremely useful paper not available when we
  first began our efforts on this work.
• Developed by the National Advisory Council on
  Violence Against Women.
• Chapter 7 suggests several ways to enhance
  womens safety and well-being on campus.
• GT SVTF and VOICE initiative implemented many of
  these recommendations.

13
Creating a Comprehensive Campus Plan

• Establish buy-in from constituents.
• Push for the resources you need.
• Establish a baseline of the issue on your campus.
• Prepare a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
  grant.
• Find allies in the decision-making realm.
• Avoid finger-pointing.
• Strengthen prevention efforts - and response
  efforts
• Reach out to students in leadership roles.
• Meet regularly to share data/concern to
  collaborators to ensure a coordinated approach
  and encourage accountability at the institutional
  level.

14
Works Cited

• Barone, R., Wolgemuth, J., and Linder, C. (2007).
  Preventing Sexual Assault Through Engaging
  College Men. Journal College Student
  Development. p. 585-59.
• Fisher, B., Sloan, J.J., III, and Cullen, F.T.
  (1995). Final report Understanding crime
  victimization among college students
  Implications for Crime Prevention (NCJ 175503).
  Washington, DC, U.S. Department of Justice.
• National Advisory Council on Violence Against
  Women (2001). Toolkit to end violence against
  women (NCJ 206041). Rockville, MD.
• Penny, S.W., Tucker, L., Lowery, J.W. (2000).
  National baseline study on campus sexual assault
  Adjudication of sexual assault cases. College
  Station, TX Association for Student Judicial
  Affairs.

15
Works Cited

• Security on Campus (2004). Campus Sexual Assault
  Victims' Bill of Rights. Retrieved on February
  17, 2006 from http//www.securityoncampus.org/vict
  ims/billofrights.html
• Security on Campus (2004). The Jeanne Clery
  Act. Retrieved on February 17, 2006 from
  http//www.securityoncampus.org/schools/cleryact/c
  leryact.html
• Security on Campus (2004). Letter from U.S
  Department of Education to Georgetown University.
  http//www.securityoncampus.org/reporters/releases
  /degioia071604.pdf
• Skelton-Hayes, K. (2006). Examining Approaches to
  the Campus Judicial Process in the Cases of
  Sexual Assault Student Experiences, Peer
  Institutions and Recommendations for Change.
  Internal white paper. Atlanta, GA.
• VOICE website. Retrieved from http//www.voice.gat
  ech.edu/site_content/1_voice/index.php on October
  12, 2007.