Jodi Solito

Slippery Rock University will try a new tactic using grant money to combat sexual assault.

Gov. Tom Wolf has announced that the school is one of 38 post-secondary institutions in the state selected to receive funding under the “It's On Us PA” grant program, which is in its fourth year.

The movement, spawned from the national “It's On Us” movement, reframes the conversation around sexual violence by encouraging individuals to pledge to be part of the solution.

Jodi Solito, director of the SRU Women's Center, wrote the proposal that was awarded the $19,800 grant.

In the past, Solito said, the university used funds to host panel discussions, guide workshops and create posters with messages condemning sexual violence and encouraging victims to tell their stories.

“We decided to go in a bit of a different direction and target a certain population on campus,” Solito said.

She said the 2019 campaign will include a student survey and social media components. She said more focus will be paid to the athletic department because coaches, student-athletes and athletic trainers are familiar with NCAA-conducted sexual assault prevention and awareness campaigns in a similar NCAA-wide movement. Solito said athletes also have the respect of many on campus.

“We decided to capitalize on that familiarity with that,” she said. “We know that athletes have a sort of revered position on campus. A lot of time they're looked up to.”

Solito said the past experience of athletes also means they are more educated than others in terms of reporting sexual violence and the resources available during the process.

She said a victim often won't report sexual assault because they don't know what happens next or the options they have during the process.

“One of the things we're trying to address is getting more students in general to report sexual violence,” she said. “That seems to be an issue because they don't know what happens next after they report.”

To reach as many students as possible, even those who may be not be connected to athletics, Solito said the university plans to continue with other advertising campaigns that reach the largest parts of the student body, such as traditional posters or messages on napkins in the dining hall.

Solito said many organizations and departments regularly conduct campaigns against sexual assault and harassment that reach the general student body. “We do that on a regular basis,” she said. “This (grant) is just to supplement the efforts that we already do.”

In 2017, there were two incidents of forcible sex offense and one incident of stalking reported by law enforcement agencies and campus security authorities, according to the university's annual security and fire safety report, which was last updated in September.The report also showed two rapes — which accounts for .0002 percent of the student population of 9900 — were reported in 2017 by SRU police based on information compiled in accordance with Act 1988-73 and the College and University Information Act.The full report is available for review through Slippery Rock University's website, on the police department's page.Solito said the campaign's intent is to lead people to the It's On Us website, where they can make their own symbolic pledge for the cause at www.governor.pa.gov/its-on-us/#TakethePledge.The Wolf administration has invested nearly $3 million over the past three years for It's On Us program grants. Another $1 million will be invested this year statewide.“We must never tolerate sexual assault on our campuses or a culture that allows it,” Wolf said. “Over the past three years, my administration has worked with students, schools and communities to build programs to stop sexual assaults. The grants will help schools across the state to make campuses safer, and help stop sexual harassment and assault.”