Winona State University has been awarded a $293,859 grant to work to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on campus.
The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, is titled “An Integrated Approach to Addressing Gender-Based Violence at WSU.” The focus will be students, faculty, staff, and administrators on the WSU-Winona campus, with special attention for those at risk for violence or victimization and/or who have experienced assault or victimization. Emphasis also will be placed on developing innovative, culturally-specific prevention and intervention strategies that meet the needs of LGBTQ students.
The goals of the project are: to expand, reorganize and streamline the campus-wide approach to addressing gender-based violence; to enhance training to increase student assault-related knowledge and skills of WSU staff, faculty and administration; to upgrade student assault education and prevention activities at the university; and to improve and establish systematic tracking of student attitudes toward violence and responses to university-sponsored classes and programs designed to decrease violence.
Grant funding will help support and expand WSU’s existing gender based violence helpline (507-457-5610), operated in partnership with the Women’s Resource Center of Winona. The funding will also support peer advocacy and education programming, and the creation of an online education module on gender based violence for students. The projects are scheduled to roll out in spring 2014.
Primary collaborators and consulting partners include: WSU’s Health and Wellness Center, Women’s and Gender Studies program, Office of the Vice President for Student Life and Development, Campus Security, the Women’s Resource Center of Winona, and the Winona Police Department.
For more information, contact principal investigator Tamara Berg at TBerg@winona.edu.
