UA’s efforts to help end sexual violence recognized at state level
The University of Akron is among 35 colleges — out of 88 in total — to have completed all the requirements of the statewide initiative, Changing Campus Culture. The effort, aimed at ending sexual violence on all of Ohio’s campuses, provided best-practice solutions for Ohio’s campuses and was supported by Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio Legislature.
With $2 million in funding, the Changing Campus Culture initiative was introduced a year ago. It began with a bold goal of having 100 percent of Ohio campuses implement five recommendations in the Changing Campus Culture report by the start of the 2016-2017 academic year. While all campuses have made significant progress, and many are close to implementing all five recommendations, only 35 of 88 campuses have achieved the 100 percent marker. The complete report detailing the efforts of these campuses is online.
In a letter to President Matthew Wilson, the chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, John Carey, noted in part:
“We now have more trained professionals on campus, more engaged students and more data to guide our efforts. But your university has achieved far more, successfully completing all five of the recommendations put forth by the Changing Campus Culture Advisory Group. Work of this magnitude is not done in a silo. While you appointed one individual to lead in these efforts, I know that they worked with other members of your campus community to identify areas of focus, raise awareness, develop comprehensive prevention plans, review response protocols to ensure they are comprehensive, and identify survivor-centered strategies to increase reporting and support services. I am grateful for their willingness to support the efforts on your campus.”
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