CSCU Institutions Join Nationwide Initiative to End Sexual Violence on College Campuses

Four institutions of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system — Southern and Western Connecticut State Universities and Housatonic and Norwalk Community Colleges— have joined more than 60 institutions across the country in an initiative to end sexual violence on college campuses.  The Culture of Respect Collective, an initiative created by National Association of Student Personnel Administrators  (NASPA), is an ambitious two-year pilot program that brings together higher education institutions dedicated to eliminating campus sexual violence, and guides them through a rigorous process of ongoing self-assessment and targeted organizational change. The goal is to have all CSCU institutions eventually join the Culture of Respect initiative.

Participating institutions receive strategic support and technical assistance, documentation of campus-initiated changes that support survivors, professional development opportunities, and the expertise of their collective colleagues.

“The Culture of Respect is leading a cultural shift in eliminating sexual violence on campus and offers an opportunity for CSCU to work with different schools in addressing this issue nationwide,” said CSCU President Mark Ojakian. “We are committed to protecting our campus communities and believe that everyone on campus plays an important role in ending sexual violence.”

The Culture of Respect was founded in 2013 by the parents of college-aged students who were alarmed by the high rate of sexual assault on college campuses and the lack of comprehensive resources for survivors, students, administrators and parents trying to respond to and prevent campus sexual assault. To learn more, see cultureofrespect.org.