Willamette’s Title IX Team is the recipient of a competitive grant from the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ), Crime Victims and Survivors Services Division (CVSSD) and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).
"Campus Victim Services Outreach and Advocacy Project" grants were awarded to seven universities in Oregon, including Willamette. Willamette will receive $174,413, to be used during an “award period” from April 1, 2018 through September 30, 2020.
The funds from this grant will help Willamette expand and enhance its services for student victims of gender-based violence.
The proposed funded activities include:
- Increasing hours for Willamette’s confidential advocate as well as the coordinator of Willamette’s volunteer Sexual Assault Response Allies (SARA) organization;
- Enhancing services offered through Willamette’s Women’s Resource Center to include an Advocacy Center;
- Providing part-time student staff positions for the new Advocacy Center;
- Training for Willamette’s Title IX and victims services staff and volunteers to better assist students from underserved groups;
- Increasing outreach about sexual violence and resources to assist survivors, particularly to students in the graduate programs and at TIUA; and
- Hosting a bi-annual symposium that brings together local and regional professionals to discuss best practices and opportunities for collaboration around victims’ services.
As part of the grant process, the Willamette Title IX team identified four primary goals to result from the funded activities. These include: 1) improving outreach and awareness of resources for victims of gender-based violence; 2) improving training for those leading Willamette’s Title IX and victims efforts—including counseling staff, advocates, and volunteers—so that they can better support underserved groups on campus; 3) creating an Advocacy Center to provide an inclusive and accessible space where students from all backgrounds and identities feel welcome, safe, and adequately resourced; and 4) improving and expand partnerships with campus and community partners.