PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University is one of about 20 institutions of higher education throughout the country working with the U. S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, to implement best practices to address violence.
A three-year, $300,000 grant awarded to Paula Adams, associate director of health promotion at Health and Wellness Services, will support ongoing efforts to address sexual, intimate partner and stalking violence on campus.
“This is the same grant program referenced frequently in the recent White House task force report on sexual violence,” Adams said. “It’s exciting to know that because we’ve been working with the Department of Justice since 2011, we had most of the White House task force recommendations in place on our campus before the report was even published.”
This is WSU’s second round of funding. Previous funding established the violence prevention programs within Health and Wellness Services and supported expansion of training for law enforcement and conduct board members; implementation of mandatory education for incoming students; and enhancement of support for victims. (See https://archive.news.wsu.edu/2012/03/08/training-education-aim-to-prevent-domestic-violence/#.VCmTqE10yfC)
A progress report of grant-related activities will be available in October.
“Even though I’ve written our grants, the success of the grant work is really owned by the entire WSU community – from the volunteer hours students have put in clear up to support from the president,” said Adams.
“To successfully address these issues, we have to work in an intensely collaborative manner,” she said. “We’re not even allowed to submit a grant application without a memorandum of understanding showing broad university and community support.”
In the next three years, grant efforts will focus on enhancing accessibility to services and expanding collaborative efforts.
Contacts:
Paula M. Adams, WSU Health and Wellness Services, 509-335-7884, padams@wsu.edu
Nikki Finnestead, violence prevention coordinator, WSU Health and Wellness Services, 509-335-3251, nfinnestead@wsu.edu