Albright College Awarded ‘It’s On Us PA’ Grant for Sexual Assault Awareness

Additional grants from the Dept. of Justice and PA Liquor Control Board Assist Efforts

Albright College has been awarded a $27,052 It’s On Us PA grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to prevent and respond to sexual assaults, announced the Department of Education last week.

This funding will allow the Student and Campus Life Division to enhance its sexual assault program offerings for the male student population and will provide additional training for public safety officers and educational opportunities for the entire campus community. Several campus administrators will also participate in Title IX Coordinator/Investigator Training.

“Albright College is very fortunate to have received the It’s On Us grant,” said Samantha Wesner, vice president for student and campus life. “Sexual assault prevention and education has been a focus of ours for many years. Through this grant we will achieve our goal of continuing to educate our campus community about the ongoing threat of sexual misconduct on college campuses.”

Albright is one of 39 postsecondary institutions across the state to receive more than $950,000 in It’s On Us PA grants.

“Since launching two years ago, It’s On Us PA has helped dozens of Pennsylvania colleges and universities to develop programs to prevent sexual assault and establish campus cultures where sexual assault and harassment are not tolerated,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “The pervasiveness of sexual assault has never been clearer, and combatting sexual assault requires action. The It’s On Us PA campaign is continuing to help make our campuses across the state safer.”

As part of Albright’s proactive approach to educating the campus community about issues related to sexual assault, Albright also recently received two additional grants to support this work.

In September, Albright received a $289,186 grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Projects funded through this grant are designed to enhance victim services, implement prevention and education programs, and develop and strengthen campus security and investigation strategies in order to prevent, prosecute and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking crimes on college campuses.

Additionally, a $40,000 grant from the PA Liquor Control Board (PLCB) received last July is helping to provide alcohol education to students. At least half of all acquaintance sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, the victim, or most commonly, both. Since alcohol consumption can raise the risk of sexual assault and sexual violence, the PLCB grant allows Albright’s student peer educators to offer programming about the risks and effects of alcohol use and overuse.

“The #MeToo movement has brought sexual assault awareness to the forefront,” said Wesner. “Funding from these three sources allows Albright to continue these important conversations and proactive efforts to educate the college community so that we can increase the level of understanding and prevent sexual assault and harassment from occurring on our campus.”

Founded in 1856, Albright College educates creative, curious students to become adaptable, global citizens who discover and reach their full potential. The College’s flexible interdisciplinary curriculum encourages students to combine majors and disciplines to create individualized academic programs. Close faculty mentorship, numerous experiential learning options, and a diverse, supportive and nurturing community of scholars and learners help students exceed their own expectations and graduate with a commitment to a lifetime of service and learning. Located in Reading, Pennsylvania, Albright enrolls more than 1,800 full-time undergraduates and 700 adult learners and graduate students.