Saint Mary’s Receives Department of Justice Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saint Mary’s College Receives Department of Justice Grant

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579

October 1, 2009—Saint Mary's College is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women has awarded the College a three-year, $299,893 grant to create an on-campus program that addresses and educates students on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. The women’s college will partner with S-O-S of Madison Center, the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor office’s Special Victims Unit and the St. Joseph County Police Department to prevent violence against Saint Mary’s students, prosecute offenders and meet the needs of victims.

While Saint Mary’s College crime statistics are very low, especially in the case of reported sex offenses, national statistics indicate that one out of every six women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime, college-aged women are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted, and 60 percent of sexual assaults go unreported (source: Rape, Abuse & Incest Network).

“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I can’t think of a better time to receive news that we’ve obtained this grant. I also can’t think of a better place than an all-women’s college to create such a program,” said Karen Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs. “At Saint Mary’s College, we educate our students to make a difference in the world. That preparation must include education on how women can protect themselves from becoming a victim of violence, and how to deal with the aftermath of an assault. Our expectation is this on-campus program will serve as a model for other colleges, women’s or otherwise.”

The project aims to accomplish seven goals:
o    Create a Saint Mary’s College Coordinated Community Response Team
o    Establish a mandatory prevention/education program for incoming students
o    Enhance the College’s training program for campus security
o    Provide the campus disciplinary/judicial boards with appropriate training
o    Provide the College community with increased educational opportunities
o    Enhance the victim services available to Saint Mary’s College Students
o    Enhance safety/security on campus

Johnson plans to hire an assistant director of the program who will serve as a victim’s advocate. Internal partners at the College will include the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Athletics and Recreation, Campus Ministry, the Counseling Center, Student Involvement, residence Life, the Security Department, the Student Government Association, the Student Residence Hall Association, Women’s Health, and academic programs in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology and Women’s Studies.
 
Since the Violence Against Women Act became law 15 years ago, similar grants have been awarded to colleges and universities across the country to work with local agencies to adopt comprehensive and coordinated responses to these crimes. For more information, click here.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2009-WA-AX-0002 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed by the project are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.