Jefferson College of Health Sciences gets grant to fight violence against women

WSLS News Staff
Published: October 2, 2008

The Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS) gets a federal grant to fight violence against women.

The $235,201 grant comes from the Office on Violence Against Women. The college plans to use the money to pay for a three-year initiative of speakers and programs to reduce and prevent violence against women.

According to a news release, steps the college plans to take include:

Organizing a violence prevention task force on campus
Developing educational programs about stalking and relationship or sexual violence for students
Providing ongoing training for specific members of the College Administrative Team and staff in dealing with situations involving violence against women
Enhancing the training for security officers dealing with situations resulting in violence against women
Strengthening the knowledge of dealing with violence against women for disciplinary boards on campus
Creating training for peer outreach programs to provide victims with counseling and support groups
Developing online resources about domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking for students
Installing additional cameras, emergency phones and security doors that can only be opened with an identification card across the JCHS campus.

The school says it is working on developing a timeline to put these steps into action.

In a news release, JCHS President Dr. Carol Seavor noted that women typically make up 80 to 85 percent of the College’s student population and this award is very much appreciated and timely. “The opportunity to partner with other community agencies adds great potential for success and strengthens ties to our community,” Seavor says. “In these uncertain times that call for heightened security on campuses, this grant will provide us with additional resources to ensure that JCHS is well prepared to provide a safe environment that supports high quality living and learning.”