Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Immaculata, Cheyney get $30K grant to prevent sex crimes on campus
WEST CHESTER >> Immaculata University and Cheyney University will be receiving almost $30,000 in state grant funding to combat and prevent sexual assault on campus.
The funding comes through the “It’s On Us PA” initiative, a program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
“Approximately 11 percent of all students experience some form of sexual violence, and this number only includes students who choose to report it,” Rep. Carolyn Comitta said. “I’m deeply grateful to see these funds awarded to Cheyney University, as this is a step in the right direction from eradicating these traumatizing crimes from the community.”
“Student safety and security makeup the foundation of their learning, and this is true from kindergarten all the way to college and beyond,” said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, who serves as the Minority Education Chair of the Senate Education Committee, said. “Sexual assault and sexual misconduct on campus cannot be tolerated, and these grants are another step in empowering universities to raise awareness, prevent crime, and support victims.”
Colleges and universities use the grants to create programs ranging from campus-wide training for students, faculty and staff, to institutional campaigns to raise awareness of the reporting process and the resources available to survivors of sexual violence.
Immaculata joins 35 other colleges and universities in receiving nearly $1 million in grant funding through the 2019-20 round of “It’s On Us PA” funding. Rcipients include public and private institutions in every corner of the state. The colleges and universities enroll a total of nearly 250,000 students. Of those students, more than 62,000 live on campus. As of 2019, about 2,500 students attended Immaculata University.
Last year, a similar amount was awarded to education institutions across the Commonwealth with Immaculata University receiving $28,000 and West Chester University receiving $16,000. The program was launched in 2016 and nearly $4 million dollars in grants have been allocated over the last four years to preventing sexual assault in college communities and respond to survivors in a trauma-informed way.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college and more than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.
Dinniman continues to be a leader in working to combat sexual assault and misconduct. He has introduced Senate Bill 620 to require age-appropriate consent education in the school curricula.