Eastern Kentucky University has received a $300,000 federal grant to enhance campus safety, particularly for women.
The grant, from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence against Women, will fund ESCAPES, Empowering Students on Campus through Advocacy, Prevention, Education and Services, a collaborative effort within EKU and with local non-profits.
Community partners include Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, Hopes Wings Domestic Violence Program and the Richmond Police Department. In addition, campus partners have offered their support. These include EKU Police, Student Affairs, University Programs, Student Life, University Housing, Student Health Services, Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, various registered student organizations, academic and administrative departments, and individual EKU faculty members, among others.
The initiative will be led by Caroline Reid, assistant professor of social work, principal investigator, and Marta Miranda, associate professor of social work and director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the Women and Gender Studies Program, co-principal investigator.
The grant stems from the Violence Prevention Campus/Community Coalition, established in 2007 to address issues of violence against women on campus.
The coalition includes students, faculty, staff, administrators, campus-based service providers, community-based service providers, campus law enforcement, community law enforcement, and numerous other campus agencies, organizations and student groups.
Reid said ESCAPES aims to:
reduce and/or prevent violence against women and improve the safety of women on the EKU campus.
ensure a coordinated, culturally competent, appropriate response to incidents of violence against women on the EKU campus.
improve awareness of and access to services for victims of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected to be recipients of this grant, Reid said. EKU is a beautiful campus, and we want to make sure that our students experience a safe setting.
One of the exciting aspects of this grant is that we are looking at the problem of violence against women holistically, therefore our interventions are holistic and systemic. One of the reasons why we have partnered with so many groups across campus and within the community is because violence against women involves everyone.
In implementing the initiative, the partners will:
work closely with the Violence Prevention Campus/Community Coalition.
develop and implement first-year student education programs for the prevention of violent crimes against women.
review and modify as necessary campus policies and procedures related to preventing, identifying, and responding to crimes of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
work with campus administrators, campus police, community police, and judicial boards to more effectively identify and respond to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus through trainings and other venues.
establish a Program on Violence Against Women within the Office of Women and Gender Studies to provide a central point of contact on campus where victims can receive information and referrals regarding campus and community resources.
implement a pilot bystander model of violence prevention that is culturally competent.
conduct a campus-wide awareness campaign regarding dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking on campus and the resources available for victims.
