Local colleges and universities are among 43 institutions awarded more than $1.7 million by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to combat sexual assault on campuses.
This third round of “It’s On Us PA” funding will support education, awareness and survivor empowerment programs. The investment brings the administration’s total spending on the initiative to nearly $5 million since 2023.
The “It’s On Us” campaign was originally created by the Obama Administration to teach students how to identify dangerous situations and intervene to protect their peers from non-consensual sex.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe emphasized that violence prevention requires environments where students know help is available when they are in crisis. This is particularly vital on college campuses where many students are experiencing independence for the first time.
“Healthy relationships and violence prevention require safe communities where people of all backgrounds and communities know that resources and help are available when they have questions and when they are in crisis,” Rowe said. “The It’s On Us PA campaign challenges all of us to confront the problem of sexual violence directly through awareness, prevention and support services for survivors. These efforts make a real difference in the lives of young people.”
The University of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County received $43,725 from the grant program. The university plans to expand its “Help is Available” awareness campaign into more physical spaces across its campus. It will also offer self-defense classes to the campus community and continue its weekly drop-in hours with a victim advocate from Pittsburgh Action Against Rape.
Here are the other local institutions awarded funding by county:
Allegheny County:
- La Roche University, $40,000
- Duquesne University, $40,000
- Community College of Allegheny County, $21,795
- Chatham University, $40,000
- Carnegie Mellon University, $50,000
Indiana County:
- Indiana University, $40,000
Lawrence County:
- Westminster College, $40,000
Westmoreland County:
- Seton Hill University, $37,975
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