Temple received its second grant of more than $25,000 to combat sexual assault on its campuses, both domestic and international, after Pennsylvania selected the university as one of its “It’s On Us PA” grant recipients for 2018.

 

Temple’s grant is part of nearly $1 million in funds earmarked in the 2017-2018 state budget by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration for the campaign. The university is among 39 colleges and universities across the state to be selected for an “It’s On PA Us” grant. 

 

“The ‘It’s On Us PA’ campaign is helping Pennsylvania schools lead their communities in directing the conversation on how we can prevent assaults and harassment from infecting our campuses and communities,” state Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera said at a news conference at Temple on March 13.

 

 

The “It’s On Us” initiative at Temple seeks to improve education and increase support for students by raising awareness and reporting of incidents of sexual assault. “It’s On Us PA,” modeled on the national “It’s On Us” program, was the first state-level initiative launched after former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden started the campaign in 2014.

 

Temple received its first “It’s On Us” grant last year to support focus groups, universitywide educational campaigns, an anonymous online reporting system, and population-specific marketing materials for Title IX and counseling services at Temple. The specific student populations who may face barriers to reporting that we targeted via last year’s grant include students of color, international students, students with a disability and LGBTQIA+ students.

 

This year’s funding will expand the successes of the first grant to support efforts on all Temple campuses, domestic and international.

 

Alexandra Schmied, a senior studying public health and a peer educator at the Wellness Resource Center, has been working with fellow students to prevent and address sexual violence on campus. 

 

“As a Temple student, I’m glad that all students on all Temple campuses will have more resources to help them understand sexual misconduct and how to report instances of these violations, and have access to support services and resources,” Schmied said.