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Building on his commitment to safe campuses, Governor Tom Wolf today announced that 34 higher education institutions will receive up to $ 30,000 in It’s On Us PA grants. Started by Governor Wolf in 2016, It’s On Us PA is a statewide campaign that calls on education officials and all Pennsylvanians to be part of the solution to protecting students from sexual violence.
“Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities need to be a safe space where students can learn and grow without fear of violence, harassment or abuse,†Governor Wolf said. “Each of us has a responsibility to promote healthy relationships, and the It’s On Us PA grant program was created to provide pathways to training and resources that enhance campus culture and engagement.”
The list of winners is available here.
Some of the approved projects include:
Carnegie Mellon University
It’s On Us funds will be used to raise awareness on a universal level by building positive and healthy relationships and creating a strategic plan for a caring and culturally receptive community. The funds will be used to increase reporting, educate students, and provide strategic training to groups that have been identified as high risk based on the data.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The funds will be used to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the university’s institutional response to sexual violence, including an assessment of the services provided, barriers that prevent survivors from accessing these services, knowledge of the language of affirmative consent college and reporting options, and more.
Delaware County Community College
DCCC will continue to focus on vulnerable populations, including the LGBTQIA + community and dual-enrolled high school students. The DCCC will present a series of programs and activities that provide safe spaces for students to talk about consent and trainings for DCCC staff to better understand consent and to be able to provide guidance, tools and resources for students.
“The Pennsylvania Department of Education strongly supports any effort to create inclusive, welcoming and safe learning environments,†said Education Secretary Dr. Noe Ortega. “It’s On Us PA has cultivated change across the Commonwealth of Nations by investing in targeted resources, supporting students and faculty, and reminding Pennsylvanians that sexual violence will not be tolerated on our campuses.”
Since 2016, the Wolf administration has awarded 184 It’s On Us PA grants totaling nearly $ 6 million to post-secondary institutions, including two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities.
The grants provide funding from January 2022 to May 2023 to implement strategies on campus, such as improving awareness, prevention, reporting and response systems regarding sexual violence in schools; remove / reduce barriers that prevent victims of sexual violence from reporting and / or accessing life-saving resources; and demonstrate strong, proactive and sustainable leadership to change campus culture and improve the climate around sexual assault.
This fall, Governor Wolf unveiled a set of four bills that will further strengthen protections for students and tackle sexual assault on campuses, including a “yes means yes†law that requires all post-secondary institutions to have policies with clear standards of what is and is not to consent; a bill to strengthen protections for victims of offenses committed on campus; a plan to teach high school and high school students about and preventing dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking; and legislation that would create a task force to study sexual assault, dating violence, family violence and stalking in grades 6 to 12 schools and post-secondary institutions.
In 2019, the governor signed two major laws in his It’s On Us campaign. The laws require colleges to provide an anonymous online option for students to report sexual assault and protect students reporting sexual assault from disciplinary action for violating school policies on drugs, alcohol or other matters.
The It’s On Us campaign is a national sexual assault awareness initiative; teach participants that assault includes non-consensual sex, counsel them on how to identify unsafe situations, empower them to intervene, and urge them to create a supportive environment for victims and survivors.
Pennsylvanians are urged to visit the It’s On Us PA page on the Governor’s website and commit to “recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, identify situations in which sexual assault can occur, intervene in situations where consent is not or cannot be given and create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.
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