Wilkes University has been awarded a $30,000 “It’s On Us” grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wilkes was one of 38 colleges and universities to receive funding, which will be used to raise awareness about sexual and intimate-partner violence. This is the second time Wilkes has received the award.
An initiative of Governor Tom Wolf, “It’s On Us PA” is a statewide campaign that invites everyone to play a role in ending sexual assault.
The grant will be used to establish and continue programs that educate and train students, faculty and staff on identifying, responding to and reporting sexual violence. This includes the continuation of the University’s Red Flag Campaign, a bystander intervention strategy to address and prevent sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking on college campuses. The campaign encourages friends and other campus community members to say something when they see warning signs, “red flags”, of intimate partner violence. The two-week event will take place later this semester.
The efforts will be organized by Wilkes Title IX coordinator, Samantha Hart, in partnership with Wilkes student affairs, residence life and student government.
“We are honored to be a grant recipient, which will give us the opportunity to build upon our commitment to preventive education and ensuring our community is inclusive, welcoming and safe,” Hart said. “The ‘It’s On Us’ campaign has been largely embraced by our students and we are excited to continue our work toward the initiative both on our campus and in our community.”