The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is the first university in the state to join the Culture of Respect Collective as part of its continued commitment to addressing campus sexual violence.
The ambitious two-year program guides participating institutions through a rigorous process of self-assessment and targeted organizational change.
“UW Oshkosh’s participation in the Culture of Respect collective is another positive step we are taking to systemically address sexual and interpersonal violence in our community,” said Art Munin, interim vice chancellor of student affairs. “This is one of several measures we are taking to improve the safety and well-being of our students.”
The program is grounded in an expert-developed public health framework, cross-campus collaboration and peer-led learning to make meaningful programmatic and policy changes, said Juliana Kahrs, assistant director of health promotion and co-leader of the Culture of Respect Collective at UW Oshkosh.
“We will receive strategic support and technical assistance throughout the process, as well as detailed documentation of campus-initiated changes to support survivors, prevent sexual violence and communicate that violence is unacceptable,” Kahrs said.
Work already is underway on campus. A campus leadership team of more than two dozen faculty, staff and students members has been established. Women’s Center Director Alicia Johnson is co-leader of the collective.
UW Oshkosh senior Aaron Wojciechowski, an economics and political science major from Delavan, is a student member of the team. He is interested in learning about the tools and skills necessary to combat sexual assault on campuses.
“I think it will start a necessary conversation that many don’t want to address,” he said. “It will develop a plan and put accountability measures in place.
Junior psychology major Noelle Fenwick, of Spring Grove, Illinois, another student member of the leadership team, hopes the collective will bring “tangible change to the climate and the involvement rate surrounding the prevention and response to sexual violence on campus.”
“I’m excited to be taking part in this effort because prevention of sexual violence is a particularly passionate issue of mine, and it’s something I plan to spend my career working with,” she added.
Progress also has been made with the collective completing the first half of the organizational assessment.
Kahrs said the assessment addresses the following pillars: survivor support; clear policies on misconduct, investigation, adjudication and sanctions; multi-tiered prevention education; public disclosure of campus violence statistics; school-wide mobilization; and ongoing self-assessment.
UW Oshkosh joins 60 other schools from across the country who participated in the first two cohorts of the collective as well as the 40 other institutions taking part in the third cohort, including partners in Canada and Mexico.
The collective was founded in 2013 by parents of college-aged students who were alarmed by the high rate of sexual assault on campuses and the lack of comprehensive resources for survivors, students, administrators and parents.
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