This story has been updated
The University of Evansville hired Andrea Hughes to develop their Project Safespace program.
This program is going to be open for everyone, with a focus on LGBTQ + individuals, individuals with disabilities and international students.
It’s funded by a three-year, $400,000 Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) grant.
Hughes said despite widespread concerns over federal grant funding with the Trump Administration, they’re moving ahead as planned.
“I know everyone heard of this scare with the federal grants and funds being frozen, and that was a scare for everyone. However, at this point, we keep moving forward. Nothing is taken at this point, and while we have the funds and we're able to provide the services we're going to do that.”
This three-year program is currently underway, but further grants to extend the program may not be guaranteed. The OVW website has removed upcoming funding opportunities, and advised any applications underway should be stopped.
Project Safespace will combine members of the campus and outer community to provide prevention education and support regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
The goal is to make the campus safer through education and improved culture.
Hughes said many campuses can investigate these occurrences, but they provide little resources or prevention training.
“We're missing that piece of advocacy and resources and bystander intervention,” Hughes said. “So a lot of times we see something, we don't say anything. So teaching individuals ‘what does that look like for me,’ and then also providing a team for them to go to, to be able to say, ‘Okay, I know that we have this resource on campus …’”
The program can include sex education and access to contraceptives, and even discussing abstinence.
“It is a part of the discussion, because we have people from all over — from the US, but other countries,” she said. “And so different cultures and beliefs are very different.”
UE is now one of only 31 campuses across the US with a Safepace Program.
She plans to check her progress via student and staff evaluations, and monitoring whether the frequency of campus incidents change.
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