Michael Dunn, SMCM’s Director of Title IX Compliance and Training/Title IX Coordinator, was recently awarded funding from the Center for Injury and Sexual Assault Prevention at the Maryland Department of Health as part of a competitive application process. The funding comes from the Maryland Rape and Sexual Assault Prevention College Initiative which seeks to enhance campus-based sexual violence prevention activities.

SMCM will use the $8,000 grant to partner with the national violence prevention organization, A Call to Men, to offer a series of workshops on campus during the fall 2017 semester. Trained advisors from A Call to Men will lead multiple workshops on two occasions during the fall semester – aimed in particular at male members of the community – to address the prevalence, impact, prevention, and rejection of sexual violence on campus. All students, faculty, and staff will be invited and encouraged to attend. The Title IX Coordinator and the Implementation Team’s goal is to include preexisting communities of men on campus – athletic, academic, social, etc. – and to create a welcoming environment for any other individuals interested in attending. The focus on educating men is a result of College and national data that indicate that the majority of sexual misconduct incidents are committed by males. In addition, community partners through the St. Mary’s County Sexual Assault Response Team, including advocacy groups, medical responders, and law enforcement personnel, will be invited to attend.

The Title IX Coordinator and the Implementation Team will lead follow-up events on campus and will engage in an ongoing messaging campaign to reinforce and build on the training materials shared at the workshops. This important award from the Maryland Department of Health will help increase sexual violence prevention activities that are grounded in the best available evidence and utilize the principles of effective prevention.