Sappey and Herrin announce It’s On Us PA grant for West Chester University

HARRISBURG, Dec.10 – State Reps. Christina Sappey and Dianne Herrin, both D-Chester, announced today that West Chester University will receive $24,725 through the It’s On Us PA grant program, a statewide campaign to protect students from sexual violence.

“These funds help ensure the proper education and equipment to keep students safe on campus grounds,” said Sappey. “We all have to do our part to stop sexual violence. This grant will help West Chester University continue to challenge students, teachers, faculty, staff and more to say something when they see something.”

"The college years should be a time of self discovery, personal growth, and relationship development. Sadly, every 1 in 5 college-aged women and 1 in 20 college-aged men experience a trauma," Herrin said. “The It's On Us program helps address this reality and will give WCU more resources to take a proactive stance in combatting sexual assault by recognizing and addressing the warning signs.”

The grants will provide funding from January 2022 through May 2023 to implement safety strategies on campuses, such as improving awareness, knocking down barriers that prevent survivors from reporting and/or accessing resources, and changing campus culture.

The It’s On Us campaign is a national initiative to raise awareness about sexual assault. Its goal is to teach students that non-consensual sex is a form of assault, advise them on how to identify dangerous situations, empower them to intervene, and urge them to create an environment of support for victims and survivors.

More information about the grants is available here.