The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded Rhodes College a $300,000 Campus Grant, which will fund a coordinated effort to enhance programs related to the prevention of, and response to, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
Rhodes will hire a new project coordinator in its Student Life Division to develop and manage the new program. The person will report to the dean of students and work closely with the college’s Title IX coordinator.
The grant will allow Rhodes to continue to collaborate with the Shelby County Crime Victims & Rape Crisis Center and the Memphis Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit.
The grant activities include four components:
- Create a Coordinated Community Response Team to enhance response systems, education, and prevention programs related to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Enhance a mandatory prevention program for incoming students and implement ongoing prevention trainings for returning students.
- Implement training for campus safety personnel, disciplinary boards, and faculty and staff.
- Enhance universal prevention strategies.
Rhodes is among 50 colleges and universities to receive more than $15 million in federal sexual assault prevention grants from the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women this fiscal year.
Rhodes began building its grant application in December 2018 and submitted the final draft to the Department of Justice in March 2019. The application abstract is available here.