The University of Mary Washington will receive a federal grant of $30,000 over three years to help prevent sexual violence on campus. The University is one of nine colleges partnering with the national nonprofit agency Futures Without Violence to increase awareness of sexual assault on college campuses and implement successful prevention policies.
“The funds will extend our growing efforts to prevent sexual violence at UMW,” said Avina Ross, sexual assault and prevention specialist at the University of Mary Washington.
Known as the College Sexual Assault Policy and Prevention Initiative, the grant – awarded by the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – provides three years of funding and supports the recommendations of the White House Task Force on Campus Assault dual campaigns: “Not Alone” and “It’s On Us.”
The funds will provide more support to enhance task force development, including UMW’s Sexual Assault Response Team, according to Ross. In addition, the award will enable UMW to implement strategies from the White House Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault; employ prevention programs centered on improving UMW’s response and prevention; and bolster prevention initiatives already in place at UMW, such as bystander intervention, student orientation and faculty/staff programming.
Other participating colleges include the University of Pittsburgh, Tufts University, University of California, Berkeley, La Roche College, University of San Francisco, Kirkwood Community College and Point Park University.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health Nancy C. Lee, director of the Office on Women’s Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said, “The work from this program is essential to strengthening violence prevention policies that can be sustained on college campuses beyond this initiative.”
