Pittsburgh higher ed steps up sexual assault interventions ahead of annual spike in cases
Pittsburgh’s Public Source
Incoming freshmen at Chatham University gather inside the Campbell Memorial Chapel on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 for a mandatory, hour-long presentation on consent and sexual violence prevention. (Photo by Alexis Wary/PublicSource)
A recent state law has prompted some trade schools to develop programming and supports to counter sexual violence on campus. Other colleges have codified and amplified existing procedures.
Pittsburgh-area universities and career schools are taking new steps this fall to tackle a pervasive problem: sexual violence.
More than half of sexual assaults among college students occur in the fall. Resources, survivor stories and investigation into what’s being done to protect those at risk in the Pittsburgh area. Explore the series.
A new state requirement has led trade and career schools to ramp up their programming on sexual violence prevention, and it’s prompting more training for faculty and staff at universities across town. The universities are also making use of substantial grants they’ve received for prevention work in recent years, deploying a response team and, potentially, expanding resources for survivors of domestic violence.
There’s an urgency to this work. While sexual violence happens throughout the academic year, more than half of assaults occur in the time between the start of the fall semester and Thanksgiving break. This period of time is known as The Red Zone, and women, students of color and LGBTQ students are most vulnerable during it.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed in the last year at local universities and schools:
