Pitt makes changes to prevent sexual assault
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's a race against time on college campuses nationwide. We're smack dab in the middle of the most dangerous time of year for campus sexual assault and schools are rolling out new education efforts to try to stop the spike.
KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller asked the University of Pittsburgh how they're fighting against the statistics.
"We have been listening to students who have shared their concerns around sexual misconduct prevention and response on our campus and we are working to take action," said Carrie Benson the director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education at the University of Pittsburgh.
College students on campuses nationwide are the most vulnerable right now.
"From welcome week all the way to Thanksgiving where they're at an elevated risk of experiencing sexual misconduct," said Benson.
It's called the "red zone." Research reveals 50% of sexual assaults on college campuses happen during this dangerous stretch.
"The students are new to campus, they're taking in lots of new experiences, they haven't formed their social circles yet or necessarily found the friend groups," Benson said.
KDKA-TV has reported on Pitt's campus alerts many times before.
From a sexual assault in the stairwell at the Cathedral of Learning last year, to back-to-back reported assaults on nearby streets, students tell KDKA it's a reminder to be smart and never walk alone.
"It's scary you can't walk around by yourself anymore, you don't know what's going to happen," said one student.
Pitt students wrote an open letter to campus leaders last year, demanding more sexual assault prevention education.
Benson said the university listened, securing $500,000 to hire more people and deploy more resources.
"Pitt Seed has allowed us to hire additional staff who are really focused on doing programming at night and on the weekends, meeting students where they are," Benson said.
One of those new hires is Vanessa Love, who works specifically to address the campus response to sexual violence and misconduct.
"Our office has a partnership with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape in which we have PAAR advocates on campus to provide confidential support to our students, staff and faculty members," said Love, the director of Civil Rights and Title IX.
New programming, talking directly to students in their first-year classes, and a fresh website design are just some of the changes this year.
"In addition to programming, it's updating our website to make sure students can find the resources and support they need as easily as possible," said Benson. "It's funding focus groups so we can constantly be checking in and find out where there might be gaps."
Benson said those student focus groups produced the most helpful prevention information to date.
"We've taken this information, and it has really informed all of the work we have done moving forward -- from the programs we've created, the materials that we've created, how we're reorganizing our website. This is permeating all of the ways we engage in this work," said Benson.
Pitt's also now offering a mini grant program this year where they'll give money to students to fund their own ideas around sexual assault prevention.
