$250,000 GRANT AWARDED TO CURB SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE AT HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY

Arcata, CA- Humboldt state university has received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund programs to curb sexualized violence. The Department of Justice says that one in five women will experience sexualized violence on college campuses, and a committee at HSU hopes to change that. The Sexual Assault Prevention Committee is going to use this grant to educate students about the dangers they face on campus. Co-Chair of the committee, Kim Berry said, "What we are looking at is parties and other social events where perpetrators use alcohol and other drugs to often coarse women into sexual activity."All too often colleges are notified about young women who are drugged at parties, and this committee wants to stop this from happening. Berry remarked, "We can tell women to cover their drinks at parties. To be aware that a bowl of punch might be spiked."The Sexual Assault Prevention Committee hopes to challenge the norms of society. The idea that “no means no” it doesn’t mean try harder. Berry explained, "Our culture promotes ideas about gender and sexuality that support this idea of sex as something one try's to score."The committee has also found that sexualized violence on campus is often from your neighbor or classmate. Co-Chair Maxwell Schnurer said, "The most common stereo type is that of a stranger jumping out of the bushes. We know that in fact its much more likely the person who is attacked is going to know who attacked them."Counseling for sexualized violence is available at the Student Health Center. The grant money will go towards training University Police and peer councilors. Schnurer said, "This gives us an opportunity to prevent sexual assaults before they take place. And also better respond to them."If you are someone who has experienced sexual violence and don’t know who to turn to, you can visit the committees website at www.humboldt.edu/stoprape.