Bard College Receives 2014 Avon Foundation For Women Campus Grant To Activate Bystanders To Reduce Sexual Assault, Dating Abuse, and Stalking

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard College has received a $5,000 grant from the Avon Foundation for Women through its Speak Out Against Domestic Violence initiative. The grant will fund the Green Dot, etc. program at Bard College to engage community members as activated bystanders in the reduction of sexual assault, dating abuse, and stalking. This is the second year Bard College has received funding from the Avon Foundation for Women.

The grant is one of 30 Avon campus grants, totaling $150,000, awarded to colleges nationwide to fund programs focused on preventive education on dating abuse and violence, sexual assault, stalking, and the promotion of healthy relationships. The grant also encourages the use of local resources and collaboration with community-based domestic violence experts, and also supports educator training, materials, and support sessions.

Aggressive and inappropriate sexual behavior impact entire communities. They are inclusive of all gender identities and sexual orientations, with young women ages 16–24 reporting the highest rates of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  Since the Clery Act was passed in 1990, a variety of initiatives have been developed to educate college administrators on the issues of gender violence, particularly sexual assault, and to provide resources for college campuses to reduce violence. Although much has been learned, there is a great deal more that can be accomplished to implement effective campus-wide policies and prevention practices to prevent and reduce incidences of violence.

In April 2014, the White House issued NOT ALONE: The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, highlighting steps school administrators can and must take to honor their obligation to protect all students from sexual assault and violence. Recognizing that school administrators bear the burden of responsibility to provide safe communities for all students, the Avon Foundation partnered with Futures Without Violence to develop Guidelines for Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education. These guidelines highlight best practices for creating and promoting a campus norm of interpersonal respect and nonviolent relationships, and can be downloaded for free.

Students must also be part of the solution to help prevent violence perpetrated against and by their peers. With this new grant, the Avon Foundation has funded campus dating abuse prevention programs to educate significant numbers of student groups and faculty to create awareness, to recognize the warning signs of abuse, and to encourage students to safely intervene to help prevent violence.

“We are proud that the Avon Foundation for Women shares our mission and has chosen to support our program,” said Tamara Ellis Stafford, Title IX coordinator at Bard College. “With these funds we will be able to implement a nationally recognized, campus-inclusive bystander awareness program, which we believe, through a community-wide call to action, will create lasting culture change resulting in a more informed and positively engaged community.”

Bard College has several programs on campus that address awareness and prevention of sexual assault, dating abuse, and stalking. BRAVE, Bard’s Response to Rape and Associated Violence, was founded in 1991 and is a professionally directed student-service organization whose members provide anonymous and confidential crisis intervention, supportive counseling, advocacy, and ongoing education to the Bard community. Peer Health is a student group trained to educate their classmates about health and wellness issues, inclusive of relationship violence and healthy sexuality, through residence hall programs, campus-wide events, and educational campaigning. The Title IX office was developed in September 2013 and informs students, faculty, and staff of their reporting options and support resources involving concerns of gender-based misconduct. Through collaboration with other departments and off-campus agencies, the Title IX Office also provides preventative education and training around issues of dating abuse, sexual assault, and stalking awareness. The Green Dot, etc. program will enhance these existing programs and specifically address bystander awareness.


Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence
The Avon Foundation for Women launched Speak Out Against Domestic Violence in 2004 to support domestic violence awareness, education, and prevention programs aimed at reducing domestic and gender violence, as well as direct services for victims and their families. Through 2013, the Avon Foundation for Women has donated nearly $38 million in the United States to support domestic violence programs, services, and education. Globally, Avon supports efforts to end violence against women in nearly 50 countries by raising funds through special product sales and educating women around the world through its army of more than 6 million Avon Representatives. Visit www.avonfoundation.org for more information.

For more information on the implementation of the Green Dot, etc. program at Bard College, please contact Tamara Ellis Stafford at [email protected].

For more information about relationship abuse, please visit www.breakthecycle.org. To receive immediate help, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the National Dating Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474.

To learn more about the Avon Foundation for Women, visit www.avonfoundation.org, where you can access information about Speak Out Against Domestic Violence.

Website: https://www.avonfoundation.org

This event was last updated on 09-25-2014

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