The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the network of victim service programs servicing all 67 counties in the Commonwealth applaud Governor Tom Wolf and Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera for their efforts to make post-secondary campuses safer through the It’s On Us PA campaign.
As part of the campaign, Secretary Rivera today announced that 36 colleges and universities will be awarded nearly $1 million in grants to support community initiatives that work toward eliminating sexual violence and harassment on campuses.
Sexual assault is a serious and widespread problem that takes place on college campuses and in communities in Pennsylvania and across the country. One in five women and one in 16 men will be a victim of completed or attempted sexual assault while in college.
Governor Wolf recognizes that we all have a role to play to end sexual assault and support victims by encouraging us to take a pledge to take personal responsibility in preventing sexual violence and creating a culture or respect, safety, and equality on campuses.
“We applaud the work of today’s 36 grant recipients as faculty at campuses across the Commonwealth work with students to make their campuses safer,” PCAR CEO Karen Baker said. “We especially commend the students involved with their school programs—leaders who are working to support others who have experienced sexual assault, violence or harassment.”
By promoting safe behaviors, thoughtful policies and healthy relationships, we can create safe and equitable campus communities where every person is treated with respect. In doing so, we can help prevent sexual assaults from occurring in the first place.
Through campaigns such as It’s On Us and simple one-on-one conversations with loved ones, we are breaking down misperceptions of sexual violence and empowering individuals to take an active role in preventing these acts.
Baker went on to say, “at the current time we are seeing the rollback of Title IX and weakened protections for victims on campuses, it is even more important that opportunities such as the ‘It’s On Us’ grant program help to unify us all in making our shared communities safer.”
PCAR also encourages the public to help make their communities safer for loved ones by taking the pledge to be a leader in eliminating sexual violence by positive example at: https://www.governor.pa.gov/its-on-us/#TakethePledge.