To prevent and respond to sexual assault incidents on campus, the University of Akron has received a federal grant of $300,000 from the United States Justice Department.
The grant is being extended by the department’s Office on Violence Against Women through its program to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking on campus.
Under the grant, which is available for three years, the university’s Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) and Title IX Response teams will work with Coordinated Community Response and Support group to enhance the capacity of various sexual assault capacity programs on the campus.
“The University of Akron has made steady progress toward ending all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence,” Dean of Students Michael Strong said.
“Still, any one instance is one too many. The OVW grant will allow our dedicated staff to reach further into our community, educating students as well as University faculty and staff. Every student at The University of Akron deserves the best possible support following an instance of sexual harassment or violence and every member of the faculty and staff should know where to turn for support and assistance on behalf of our students.”
The university will also train campus law enforcement officers, provide mandatory education and prevention programming for new students and build a coordinated response to cases of violations.