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Shapiro Administration Awards More Than $1.4 Million in It's On Us PA Grants

01/22/2024

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today announced 37 institutions of higher education and postsecondary schools have been awarded It’s On Us PA grants of up to $60,000 each, totaling more than $1.4 million, in order to combat sexual assault and make our campuses safer. 

It’s On Us PA is a statewide campaign that invites everyone to play a role in ending sexual assault. Building off the momentum of the national It's On Us movement, It's On Us PA brings together college and university presidents, superintendents, administrators, teachers, students, families, and community members to reframe the conversation around sexual violence and pledge to be part of the solution.

“The It’s On Us PA campaign cultivates change and provides colleges, universities, and postsecondary career and trade schools with the support and resources necessary to protect learning environments and ensure they are free from sexual assault, harassment, and violence,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “All Pennsylvanians deserve a safe learning environment. By participating in the It’s On Us PA grant program, higher education institutions are making their campus communities safer and more welcoming for the students who call them home.”

The following institutions received It's On Us PA grants:

Adams County:

  • Gettysburg College, $40,000

Allegheny County:

  • Carnegie Mellon University, $40,000
  • Duquesne University, $40,000
  • Pennsylvania Gunsmith School, $1,779
  • Point Park University, $40,000
  • Robert Morris University, $40,000 

Berks County:

  • Kutztown University, $40,000

Cambria County:

  • Saint Francis University, $40,000

Centre County:

  • Pennsylvania State University, $60,000

Chester County:

  • Contemporary Health Career Institute, $6,160
  • Immaculata University, $40,000
  • West Chester University, $51,813

Columbia County:

  • Commonwealth University, $60,000

Cumberland County:

  • Shippensburg University, $34,200

Delaware County:

  • Eastern University, $40,000
  • Haverford College, $40,000
  • Villanova University, $49,290

Erie County:

  • Gannon University, $40,000

Huntingdon County:

  • Juniata College, $40,000

Lackawanna County:

  • Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, $40,000
  • University of Scranton, $40,000

Lancaster County:

  • Franklin and Marshall College, $39,330

Lehigh County:

  • Cedar Crest College, $40,000
  • DeSales University, $10,700
  • Lehigh University, $37,200

Lycoming County:

  • Lycoming College, $40,000

Mercer County:

  • Thiel College, $40,000

Montgomery County:

  • Manor College, $39,799

Northampton County:

  • Lafayette College, $40,000

Philadelphia County:

  • Community College of Philadelphia, $60,000
  • Holy Family University, $40,000
  • Saint Joseph’s University, $36,158
  • Temple University, $20,000

Snyder County:

  • Susquehanna University, $37,100

Westmoreland County:

  • Saint Vincent College, $40,000
  • Seton Hill University, $40,000

York County:

  • York College of Pennsylvania, $35,000​

The grants provide funding from January 2024 through May 2025 to implement strategies on campuses to address goals of the It’s On Us PA campaign, which include:

  1. Improve awareness, prevention, reporting, and response systems regarding sexual violence in schools, colleges, and universities to better serve all students.
  2. Remove or reduce barriers that prevent survivors of sexual violence from reporting incidents or accessing vital resources by creating a more consistent, empowering reporting process for student survivors of gender-based violence.
  3. Demonstrate significant, proactive, and sustainable leadership to change campus culture by challenging Pennsylvania’s education leaders – including college and university presidents – as well as students, teachers, faculty, staff, families, and communities to pledge to improve their institutions’ climates.

The national It's On Us campaign was created by the Obama Administration to raise awareness about sexual assault, teach participants that assault includes non-consensual sex, advise them on how to identify dangerous situations, empower them to intervene, and urge them to create an environment of support for victims and survivors. 

Act 55 of 2022 expanded these efforts by requiring all institutions of higher education and postsecondary private licensed schools to adopt a definition of consent as part of their code of conduct or sexual misconduct or harassment policy. Each institution is also required to enter into and maintain a memorandum of understanding with at least one rape crisis center and one domestic violence program to provide services to students and assist with the implementation of an educational program that includes sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking education prevention and response. Resources may be found on PDE’s website, including an informational video from the national It’s On Us organization. 

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website or follow PDE on FacebookTwitterYouTube, or Pinterest.

MEDIA CONTACT: Taj Magruder, tmagruder@pa.gov

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