This month, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education released a report that confirms the Culture of Respect Engagement (CORE) Blueprint Program, a program devoted to helping institutions to strengthen their response to and prevention of sexual violence on campus, is an effective model to address this issue in higher education. The Culture of Respect CORE Blueprint Program: Findings From a National Pilot Study  (PDF) is the culmination of a year-long pilot study that included participation from 14 public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs). The pilot program was designed "to build campus stakeholders' capacity to make meaningful changes to policies and services, while engaging them in an ongoing process of feedback and reflection."

 

Culture of Respect, a NASPA initiative that was originally founded in 2013 by the parents of college-aged students who were alarmed by the high rate of sexual assault on college campuses and the lack of comprehensive resources, created the CORE Blueprint. The Core Blueprint was designed to engage students, parents, faculty, administrators, health professionals, athletes, and other campus stakeholders in implementing practices and policies that shift the culture to one free from sexual violence. The six pillars of the CORE Blueprint presents the latest public health research, expert guidance, and promising and emerging practices on how to address campus sexual violence. They include:

The pilot program had three overarching goals: 1) Support IHEs in adopting a multi-stakeholder approach to address campus sexual violence; 2) Facilitate the use of an innovative six-pillar framework using the latest public health research, expert guidance, and promising and emerging practices; and 3) Provide professional development for campus stakeholders, preparing them to make actionable changes across all six pillars.

 

Results of the pilot study were impressive, particularly regarding progress in enhancing support services for survivors and providing training for campus employees. Complete results can be found in the full report (PDF). Culture of Respect plans to offer the CORE Blueprint Program through a user-friendly online platform in 2017 that will allow for enhanced communication with participants and integrate the skills-based training pilot that participants identified as a need. For more information about the online platform and additional tools that will be available to IHEs, please visit the Culture of Respect website.