San Diego State University, which has suffered from a series of sexual assaults, received a $200,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Thursday to prevent and respond to assaults on campus.
A number of women reported sexual assaults on and near campus over the fall semester, and all fraternity members were required to take a one-hour online course.
The grant is part of the state’s Campus Sexual Assault Program. Cal State Long Beach was the only other university to receive a grant.
“For months, administrators from across campus have been meeting to discuss the best ways to combat sexual violence on campus,” said Jessica Rentto, associate vice president for business and financial affairs and Title IX coordinator.
“This grant provides SDSU with additional resources allowing us to fund additional positions focused on sexual violence prevention, and it provides resources so that SDSU can implement cutting-edge programs and activities. SDSU, together with the San Diego-based Center for Community Solutions, can be a real model for how universities across the country handle the issue of sexual assault.”
The grant will allow SDSU to have a full-time sexual assault victim advocate on campus, who will be trained and hired through the Center for Community Solutions. It will also allow for a part-time police officer dedicated to sexual assault prevention, training and investigation.
SDSU is committing an additional $67,000 of its own resources to support the program.
