Three Delco universities receive grants to fight sexual assault

The Pennsylvania Department of Education today that 44 colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions in Pennsylvania received more than $1.6 million in It’s On Us PA grants to help combat sexual assault on campus, including three institutions in Delaware County.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania received $40,000, Villanova University received $51,957 and Widener University received $35,421.

“PDE is committed to supporting efforts that keep college students and their campuses safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all students,” said Interim Acting Secretary Angela Fitterer. “All Pennsylvanians deserve a safe learning environment, and the It’s On Us PA grant program cultivates change and provides colleges, universities, and postsecondary institutions with the support and resources necessary to protect learning environments and ensure they are free from sexual assault, harassment, and violence.”

The national It's On Us campaign was created by the Obama Administration to raise awareness about sexual assault, teach participants that assault includes non-consensual sex, advise them on how to identify dangerous situations, empower them to intervene, and urge them to create an environment of support for victims and survivors.

It’s On Us PA is a statewide campaign that invites education leaders and all Pennsylvanians to be part of the solution to protect students from sexual violence.

Eligible institutions and schools with 10,000 or fewer students were able to request up to $40,000; those with more than 10,000 students were able to apply for up to $60,000. Private licensed career schools that do not offer specialized associate degrees could request up to $10,000. 

Institutions use grant funds to implement strategies on their campuses to address the goals of Governor Shapiro's It's On Us PA campaign, which include:

1. Improving awareness, prevention, reporting, and response systems regarding sexual violence in schools, colleges, and universities to better serve all students.
2. Removing or reducing barriers that prevent survivors of sexual violence from reporting and/or accessing vital resources by creating a more consistent, empowering reporting process for student survivors of gender-based violence.
3. Demonstrating significant, proactive, and sustainable leadership to change campus culture by challenging Pennsylvania’s education leaders – including college and university presidents – as well as students, teachers, faculty, staff, families, and communities to pledge to improve their institutions’ climate.

Pennsylvanians are invited to visit the It’s On Us PA webpage and take the pledge to “recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, identify situations in which sexual assault may occur, intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, and create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.”