After last year’s successful pilot program, the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault announced an expansion of a grant program that will fund research focused on reducing instances of sexual assault on college campuses. The SPCSA’s Elizabeth A. Hoffman grants will provide each recipient with $750 per term for up to two terms of research.
SPCSA vice president Gus Ruiz Llopiz ’14 said the project aims to encourage the investigation of topics that currently lack adequate research. Recipients will present their findings at the SPCSA’s annual symposium this spring.
The SPCSA will support as many feasible and well-prepared proposals as possible, Llopiz said, calling an abundance of applications a “happy problem.”
The grants were inspired by the work of recent graduates who were committed to fighting sexual assault, as well the SPCSA’s desire to produce more information about the issue. The grant is named in honor of last year’s SPCSA chair, Elizabeth Hoffman ’13, who “worked tirelessly” to make a difference, Llopiz said.
Llopiz said the program is a culmination of work that began in spring 2012. SPCSA members frequently consulted with the office of undergraduate advising and research, the office of student health promotion and wellness, the President’s office and the Dean of the College’s office, according to Llopiz.
Carla Yoon ’15, a member of the SPCSA, stressed students’ capacity to do research that most faculty and administrators cannot find the time to undertake given their busy schedules.
“We expect students to do about 50 to 100 hours of research,” she said. “By allowing students to get involved, they have more agency over these issues.”
The program funded two projects during a mini-grant pilot process that occurred last year, Llopiz said. The topics included engaging men in combating sexual assault and training faculty for off-campus programs.
A study by Morgan Wharton ’13 recommended that all faculty leading trips abroad undergo sexual assault first-responder training, a proposal included in the SPCSA’s July recommendations for effectively fighting campus sexual assault. Llopiz said that student recommendations such as Wharton’s could be readily implemented.
Yoon said she hopes the grants will encourage students from across campus to think of creative ways to fight sexual assault.
“You might think the issue is removed if you’re an engineering student, but you might come up with a reporting app or investigate the way campus lighting affects student safety,” she said. “It’s not just for people who are women’s and gender studies majors.”
Llopiz said he wants to see more research on how sexual assault affects minorities and people of color, while Yoon said she is interested in the judicial procedures for assault cases.
Van Nguyen ’17 said students should research the issue of sexual assault awareness, as perpetrators may not understand the issue well enough to identify their actions as assault. Students who wish to apply for a grant have until Jan. 14 to submit an application.
The SPCSA was founded in May 2010 to improve communication between students and administrators regarding sexual assault. The topic received increased attention following the Real Talk protests, students’ filing of a Clery Act complaint last spring and the Title IX complaint lodged against the College.
