Michigan continues to be a leader in combating sexual assault on college and university campuses, with $1 million in grant funding now available through the Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program (CSAGP). Applications are being accepted from public and non-public Michigan colleges and universities to help support ongoing efforts to reduce sexual assaults on campuses across Michigan.

This is the fourth round of grants after First Lady Sue Snyder and Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue announced the program in June 2015 following the First Lady’s “Inform. Empower. Prevent. Let’s End Campus Sexual Assault” summit. Thanks to bipartisan efforts to address this critical statewide issue, $1 million was appropriated from Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2019 General Fund budget—the largest investment in the program to date.

The grant application can be found at www.michigan.gov/CJgrants. Applications will be accepted until noon EDT on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018.

Eligible applicants are permitted to submit up to two applications for projects in the following five program areas: education, awareness, prevention, reporting and bystander intervention, or for campus improvements related to student safety, which may include lighting, security cameras, secure entrances, and more.

Applicants are encouraged to research and develop their projects with state and national sexual assault experts, as well as model their proposals after evidence-based sexual assault programs. Campus upgrades related to student safety require applicants to work collaboratively with their campus or local police department and include a letter of support from the campus or local police department with their application.

To be considered for funding all applicants must:

• Submit a detailed and complete application with all required information by 12 p.m. (noon) EDT on Oct. 8, 2018.
• Be a public or non-public university, college or community college where students attend classes on a physical campus in the state of Michigan.
• Provide a project overview that includes project title, goals, and objectives, proposed start and completion dates, estimated cost, grant amount requested and additional partners participating in the project.
• Have a project that starts after Nov. 20, 2018, and completes by Nov. 30, 2019.
• Submit no more than two applications per college/university.

For questions regarding the grant program or to submit an application, email msp-csagrant@michigan.gov.

2017 – 2018 Grant Awardees

• Central Michigan University ($26,460)
• Finlandia University ($9,413)
• Grand Valley State University ($39,472)
• Kalamazoo College ($41,800)
• Lake Superior State University ($29,355)
• Lawrence Technological University ($6,000)
• Michigan State University ($39,216)
• Michigan Technological University ($11,920)
• Mott Community College ($14,333)
• Northern Michigan University ($19,321)
• University of Michigan ($17,597)
• University of Michigan – Flint ($43,700)
• Western Michigan University ($83,342)

2016 – 2017 Grant Awardees

·       Central Michigan University ($31,016)
·       Concordia University ($26,038)
·       Davenport University ($25,396)
·       Delta College ($15,800)
·       Eastern Michigan University ($51,186)
·       Finlandia University ($25,708)
·       Grand Valley State University ($33,454)
·       Henry Ford College ($20,000)
·       Kalamazoo College ($18,600)
·       Lake Superior State University ($28,522)
·       Lawrence Technological University ($20,690)
·       Macomb Community College ($6,000)
·       Michigan State University ($37,969)
·       University of Michigan ‐ Ann Arbor ($53,505)
·       University of Michigan ‐ Dearborn ($9,840)
·       University of Michigan ‐ Flint ($34,150)
·       Wayne State University ($7,700)
·       Western Michigan University ($60,617)

2015 – 2016 Grant Awardees

•    Albion College ($7,335)
•    Aquinas College ($4,637)
•    Calvin College ($32,750)
•    Central Michigan University ($33,435)
•    Davenport University ($15,000)
•    Delta College ($28,850)
•    Eastern Michigan University ($53,926)
•    Ferris State University ($10,000)
•    Finlandia University ($15,000)
•    Grand Rapids Community College ($7,716)
•    Kalamazoo Valley Community College ($13,399)
•    Lake Superior State University ($60,000)
•    Michigan State University ($12,000)
•    Michigan Technological University ($17,746)
•    Northern Michigan University ($30,000)
•    Northwestern Michigan College ($953)
•    Oakland University ($10,550)
•    Saginaw Valley State University ($34,321)
•    University of Michigan – Ann Arbor ($20,003)
•    University of Michigan – Dearborn ($38,016)
•    University of Michigan – Flint ($29,363)
•    Western Michigan University ($25,000)

For more information for the Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program, click here.

You, Me, and We: Working Together to Support Sexual Assault Survivors’ Well-Being, Recovery, and Empowerment;

Dr. Rebecca Campbell, Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University

Time: 9:15-10 a.m.

This presentation will examine how we—friends, family, campus officials, and community service providers—can support sexual assault survivors’ well-being, recovery, and empowerment. First and foremost, we need to understand the impact of trauma, so we will begin with a brief overview of the neurobiology of trauma. Then, from this trauma-informed perspective, we will examine how we can support survivors’ disclosures and informed choices about seeking help from advocates, health care providers, Title IX officials, and/or the police.

Presentation of Handbook (Over Lunch)

Time: 1:00 p.m.

This year, First Lady Sue Snyder created a workgroup to develop resources for campus sexual assault survivors. These resources were made into a handbook to provide information about support services in Michigan, including information about Title IX, how to connect with law enforcement for help, the availability of a sexual assault medical forensic examination and where to find campus and community support services. The handbook is now available in hardcopy format and online at www. mi.gov/campussexualassault.

Ending Rape: Social Change Approach to Sexual Violence Prevention

Keith Edwards, speaker and educator on sexual violence prevention, men’s identity, social justice education, and curricular approaches

Time: 3:00-3:45 p.m.

This presentation defines and explores the realities of sexual violence, critiques traditional approaches on campus and in society in general, and reframes how we can approach sexual violence prevention proactively. Participants will be able to clearly define informed consent to others as well as recognize our mis-education from cultural messages at the roots of sexual violence.  Participants will leave the session with a vivid understanding of the issues and tangible ways to make change happen.

Breakout Sessions

Session One (10:15 – 11:15 a.m.)

Policy Panel

Facilitator: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

Panelists: State Representative Laura Cox, State Representative Kristy Pagan, State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker and State Senator Rebekah Warren

Michigan policymakers have led the country with the response to untested sexual assault evidence kits, sexual assault evidence kit tracking, and other sexual assault initiatives. This panel will discuss emerging policy issues related to sexual assault in Michigan with a focus on implementation and system changes necessary to meaningfully realize these efforts.

Preventing Sexual Violence Through Positive Culture Change

Facilitator: Melanie Boyd, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs in the Yale College Dean’s Office, Director of the Office of Gender and Campus Culture

Sexual violence does not take shape in a vacuum. It grows out of, and is enabled by, a series of violence supporting cultural patterns. To effectively protect our students from sexual violence, we must do more than raise awareness of these patterns – we must actively remake campus culture. This presentation offers a conceptual framework for reorienting our efforts, along with specific strategies and concrete examples from an undergraduate program focused on positive culture change.

Beyond Compliance: In Search of Effective, Fair and Trauma-Informed Campus Sexual Misconduct Investigations

Rebecca Leitman Veidlinger, Attorney Consultant Title IX Investigations & Compliance

This interactive session, designed for school administrators and campus Title IX staff, explores several complex considerations that go into institutions’ development of sexual misconduct investigative processes:  compliance with federal law, fairness in process, and trauma-informed practice.  In leading the session, Rebecca will share lessons learned through her own Title IX investigations and ask other institutional staff to share their experiences, with the goal of identifying effective investigative practices that go beyond just checking the box of compliance.

Panel Discussion Focused on Masculinity

Facilitator: David Lisak, Researcher & Forensic Consultant Focused on the Causes and Consequences of Interpersonal Violence

Panelists: Rus Funk, MSW, CSE, Consultant; David Garvin, MSW, LMSW, Chief Operating Officer, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County; David Manville, BSW Advisor & Lecturer, Eastern Michigan University

This panel will discuss the role of men and masculinity in the culture that supports sexual assault and sexual assault prevention. The panelists each have lifelong careers working on the issue of sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic violence

Student-led Prevention Education and Leadership

Samantha Santos, LMSW, LA VIDA/CHASS Prevention Coordinator; Leila Ramirez, LA VIDA Youth Board member; Catalina Rios, BSW, LA VIDA Intern and former Peer Assistant