Jessica Cheney – Program Director

Saint Paul College has received a $300,000 federal grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Violence against Women. These funds will be utilized to initiate five programs that are critical to responding to and preventing domestic violence on campus and in our local community. These five programs include:

1. Maintaining the Coordinated Community Response Team, made up of external and internal partners and the project director, which was created under the first round of funding.
2. Institutionalizing and expanding mandatory prevention and education programs for all incoming students about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
3. Training students in active bystander skills to effectively prevent domestic violence from occurring or escalating.
4. Training campus staff and faculty, particularly campus security and mental health professionals, on critical steps for effectively responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking situations.
5. Partnering with SOS Ramsey County Victim Services and Saint Paul and Ramsey County Domestic Violence Intervention Project to develop victim services that are convenient and accessible for students.

This grant is a continuation of the College’s first grant received in 2017. Saint Paul College is one of only four Minnesota campuses to have received this grant in Minnesota since 2010. Jessica Cheney, from the Office of Student Life and Diversity, will serve as the Project Director for this grant. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence was considered an epidemic before COVID-19, but the health crisis has caused a spike in incidents of abuse across the nation.