MCC Part of New Campus Program Designed to 'Prevent and Address Sexual Assault'

MANCHESTER, CT — Manchester Community College is now part of a what education officials are calling, "coordinated efforts to prevent and address sexual assault on state community college campuses."

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Mark Ojakian made the announcement Wednesday with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the CT Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the chief state’s attorney, and members of local and state law enforcement agencies.

The efforts include an online tool to educate students on bystander intervention, consent, and sexual assault, written agreements with local and state law enforcement to investigate reported incidents, and renewed training for our Campus Resource Teams on all campuses, he said.

Beginning this month, all 12 community colleges will begin rolling out interactive software to educate students on bystander intervention, consent, stalking and domestic violence, Ojakian said.

Students will receive comprehensive orientation of "Not Anymore," a web-based program that uses peer-to-peer testimonials by survivors and bystanders of sexual assault, video-based scenarios, animation and graphics, Ojakian said.

All 12 community colleges are pursuing written agreements with the state's attorneys' office, and local and state law enforcement agencies to investigate reported incidents, Ojakian said. The formal agreements will, among other things, designate points of contact at each agency, along with clear roles and responsibilities, he indicated.

“We are trying to change the culture around sexual assault and intimate partner violence on campus,” Ojakian said. “We want to provide our students with tools and resources that protect their safety but more importantly, we want to try and prevent incidents from occurring at all. We are focusing a lot of our efforts on education and training so students feel comfortable coming forward and staff are sharing best practices.”

Karen Jarmoc, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said, “As the state’s leading voice for victims of domestic violence and those who serve them, the opportunity to work in partnership with Connecticut’s public higher education system to improve policy, support and response for victims on college campuses has been impactful. We know that one in three college women report having been in an abusive dating relationship. Given this, shared strategies for a collective approach is enormously important.”

Gail P. Hardy, state’s attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford, said, "Sexual assault, whether it occurs on campus or elsewhere, must be treated as the serious crime that it is."

Added Beth Hamilton, the associate director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the state's coalition of sexual assault crisis services programs, said the program is designed to "elevate best practices through our prevention and education programs with both students and staff.”

Last October, CSCU received $750,000, an award representing the largest federal Safe and Friendly Environment grant from the Office of Violence against Women since the agency started awarding in funds 1995. The SAFE grant is being used to "strengthen existing efforts including enhanced education and training of CRTs across all 17 campuses," officials said.

Next spring, the CSCU plans to roll out on-campus workshops that show students how to intervene if witnessing a sexual assault along with a system-wide educational campaign targeting male students on the idea of “healthy masculinity,” officials said.

In May of 2014, the State of Connecticut passed Public Act 14-11, An Act Concerning Sexual Assault, Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence outlining requirements for all campuses across the state in addressing sexual assault.

Photo Credit: MCC