The Office of Victim's Assistance at the University of Colorado at Boulder has been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Violence Against Women Act, an office of the Department of Justice.
Nearly 100 universities applied for funding from a program designed to reduce violence against women on campus and only six new universities received awards. They join 38 other universities that will continue to receive support from the $11 million federal program.
The two-year grant will be used to reduce violence against women on the Boulder campus, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault and stalking, according to Amy Robertson, director.
"We are thrilled about the opportunity to extend and refine our existing efforts to address violence against women in the university community," Robertson said. "One of the most exciting aspects of this grant is that it will enable us to participate in a two-year dialogue with other universities about their most creative and innovative practices in preventing and responding to violence against women."
Objectives of the grant include creating a safer, more supportive environment for survivors of violence, strengthening policies, protocols and collaborative efforts to increase reporting and better hold offenders accountable, and to develop and enhance programs to change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors contributing to violence against women.
Examples of initiatives include:
* increasing community outreach and education using interactive theater programs and an interactive Web site.
* reviewing all campus policies and protocols related to violence against women.
* developing and implementing university and law enforcement training.
* creating an extended peer network to focus on diverse and traditionally underserved students.
* conducting research to determine the intervention strategies most effective in changing attitudes, beliefs and behaviors about violence against women.
In 1996 CU-Boulder created the University Sexual Assault/Intimate Violence Response Network under the leadership of Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs. The network is a coalition of university and Boulder community departments and agencies involved in violence prevention and response. The network created a solid foundation for the comprehensive, multi-faceted approach of the proposed grant initiatives.
The Office of Victim's Assistance has provided free, confidential services since the late 1980s for university community members impacted by disturbing life events, including sexual assaults, intimate partner violence, bias-related incidents, debilitating accidents and deaths of students, family members and friends. The office's two professional staff members are licensed clinical social workers who incorporate counseling and therapy in their outreach, along with pragmatic interventions.
The Office of Victim's Assistance is jointly funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the Wardenburg Health Center. For more information, call (303) 492-8855, stop by the office in Wardenburg room 325, or visit the Web site at .