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Protecting Students from Sexual Assault

Resources and materials from NotAlone.gov are now accessible on www.ChangingOurCampus.org, an online resource center supported by the Office on Violence Against Women. Some NotAlone.gov resources also are available below, under Resources.

 

Campus Grant Program | Campus Climate Surveys |  Resources
Technical Assistance | Campus Reports to Congress

Sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking are serious problems on college and university campuses. OVW’s Campus Program awards grants to institutions of higher education to help create effective, comprehensive, and sustainable strategies to prevent and respond to these crimes. The Campus Program's official title is: Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus. It is authorized by the Violence Against Women Act and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 and subsequent legislation. 

Campus Grant Program

OVW’s Campus Program supports institutions of higher education in adopting comprehensive responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Since 1999, the program has awarded more than $131 million in grants. In fiscal year 2016, the program funded 45 projects, totaling more than $15 million. See the list of awards.

The program offers grants to strengthen culturally relevant and survivor-centered approaches, provide on-campus victim services and advocacy, foster community involvement, and enhance security and investigation. These activities improve prevention of the crimes and have been found to increase intervention by bystanders to stop or prevent sexual violence.6  

Grant recipients use their funding to: 

  • Provide prevention programs for all incoming students.
  • Train campus law enforcement or security staff to effectively respond to these crimes.
  • Educate campus judicial or disciplinary boards on the unique dynamics of these crimes.
  • Create a coordinated community response to enhance victim assistance and safety while holding offenders accountable.

Priority areas include:

  • Projects that provide culturally specific prevention services and resources to underserved populations, such as LGBT students, racial/ethnic minority students, and deaf or hard of hearing students. 
  • Colleges and universities that primarily serve African-American, Latino, and Hispanic populations; tribal communities; and institutions of higher education based in the five U.S. territories.

Learn more about OVW’s grant programs and solicitations.

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Campus Climate Surveys

Campus climate surveys are essential because they generate data on the nature and extent of sexual assault on campuses, as well as campus attitudes surrounding sexual assault. Armed with accurate data, administrators and students can then begin to direct resources where they are most needed. Both the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights have identified campus climate surveys as best practices. 

OVW's Student Action Packet is designed to help students navigate the complexities of conducting a campus climate survey on sexual assault at their own college or university. The items in the Packet give students resources to help them effectively engage with their college or university's administration. 

Download the

 [PDF] as one product or download each piece individually: 
  • developed in response to questions submitted by student advocates
  •  to help students understand and communicate about climate surveys
  • A
    on Campus Climate Surveys -- An interview with a student about campus climate surveys
  • Administrators' Perspective on Campus Climate Surveys -- Two interviews with administrators
  •  on the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study

OVW has also developed an  

 to guide college and university administrators through the process of developing and implementing a campus climate survey on campus sexual assault. 

In addition to the documents listed above, the Administrator Information Packet includes: 

For questions about campus climate surveys or the Student Action Packet, contact ovw.campus.surveys@usdoj.gov, (202) 307-6026 

Resources

K-12

Sexual Misconduct Policies: Sample Language for Colleges & Universities

Colleges & Universities

Campus Climate Surveys

Prevention Resources

Other Resources

Contact OVW's Campus Program: OVW.Campus@usdoj.gov or call (202) 307-6026

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Technical Assistance

OVW’s Technical Assistance Program offers grantees evidence-based models and promising practices to meet the challenges of preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking on campus.  

Technical assistance resources specific to campus grantees are listed below. Visit www.TA2TA.org for a centralized listing of all training and technical assistance activities.

Culturally Specific

Coordinated Community Response

   Campus Law Enforcement

Comprehensive Prevention and Education

Campus Disciplinary and Conduct Boards

Clery Act

Evaluation & Assessment

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Campus Reports to Congress

Annual Reports to Congress on the activities of grantees receiving federal funds under the Campus Grant Program are required by Section 826(d)(3) of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, 42 U.S.C. § 14045b(d)(3)

2015 (PDF) | 2013 (PDF) |2012 (PDF) | 2011 (PDF) | 2010 (PDF) | 2009 (PDF) | 2008 (PDF) 

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Updated November 5, 2018