HBCU Goes on the Offensive Against Sexual Assault

Bowie State University, the historically black educational institution in Maryland, has developed a new sexual assault awareness initiative. The Partners in Peace program was created to train the campus community on issues relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The program includes mandatory training classes for all incoming students. Sexual violence workshops will be held during the fall semester as part of first-year seminars and in classes dealing with issues of human sexuality. A video presentation on sexual assault will be prepared in conjunction with students at the University of Maryland College Park that will be shown to students on both campuses.

In addition to the educational effort, Bowie State created a Campus and Community Response Team task force to deal with incidents of sexual assault on campus. The university's wellness center has developed sexual assault and bystander intervention training programs for students and staff.

The program is funded in part by a three-year, $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women.

Copyright © 2011. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.