January 29, 2016

State System applauds Gov. Wolf’s ‘It’s On Us PA’ campaign

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – The following statement from Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Chancellor Frank T. Brogan is offered in support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s “It’s On Us PA” initiative designed to raise awareness of and to prevent sexual violence:
“We applaud Gov. Wolf for calling even greater attention to this vitally important issue—one that our 14 universities have been working hard to address. We support the Governor’s ‘It’s On Us PA’ initiative and look forward to working with him and his administration to continue to raise awareness of and to increase efforts to prevent campus sexual violence. Most important, we remain committed to the fight against sexual violence so that no one becomes a victim to this terrible crime in the future.”
The State System universities are addressing the issue of sexual violence in a variety of ways:
•Each of the 14 universities has adopted a Title IX policy that addresses sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
•The universities provide educational programming for students, faculty and staff, as well as prevention education programs conducted by Title IX coordinators, university safety officers and university health and wellness center personnel. Some of the educational programs utilize social media to help reach the largest audience possible.
•The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s “It’s On Us” campaign has produced a public service announcement featuring student athletes from all of the State System universities.
•The universities work closely with local rape crisis centers to provide victim advocate services for impacted students.
•In addition to ongoing research being conducted by a number of State System university, Indiana University of Pennsylvania in recent years has received a total of $650,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to develop awareness, education, training and support programs for survivors of violence, including sexual assault.
•Many of the universities have victim advocates on campus and have peer education programs where students are educating their peers on this and other important issues.
•An assessment of System-wide compliance with state and federal laws and policies has been conducted; a representative from the Office of the Chancellor has met with every campus Title IX team to learn about campus engagement and compliance relative to Title IX issues.
•The State System’s Board of Governors in January 2015 adopted a comprehensive Protection of Minors Policy that brings together a broad range of efforts to ensure the safety and security of minors who spend time on the university campuses, acting in advance of the implementation of recent state laws in this area.

The State System partnered with Stop it Now!, a national organization dedicated to the prevention of child victimization to develop a model program for higher education, training dozens of on-campus personal to help recognize and prevent incidents of potential abuse.

•All State System university employees are designated as mandatory reporters of child abuse.
From State System spokesman Kenn Marshall:
“The State System universities have been proactive in addressing the issue of sexual violence. They have implemented a variety of education and safety-awareness programs for students who live both on and off-campus, and we are committed to continuing and expanding upon those efforts.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone on our campuses, especially our students, the vast majority of whom not only come to our universities to receive an education, but also make our campus communities their home while doing so. They deserve to feel safe, and to be safe, while they are there.”
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 107,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.