Susan Fineran Awarded $300,000 Grant to Implement Campus Interpersonal Violence Safety Program
October 9, 2009
Susan Fineran
University of Southern Maine Associate Professor of Social Work Susan Fineran recently learned that her proposed project, the Campus Interpersonal Violence Safety Program (CIVSP), received funding from the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women. The $300,000 grant will run from October 1, 2009 through September 2012. The program is a collaborative effort with the Muskie School of Public Service, and will involve other key departments on the USM campus, including the Division of Student and University Life and the USM Police.
Fineran pursued the project because of concerns raised in The Muskie Crime Victimization Report (2007) where one in five Maine residents report that they have been a victim of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime. Community sexual assault victim services providers relate that many more women come to them for help than report their victimization to the campus and community criminal justice systems, and the underreporting of sexual assault and dating violence is consistent with findings on college campuses nationwide.
Over the course of the three-year grant, Fineran plans to establish a campus interpersonal violence safety program committee that will present a coordinated campus/community response to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and dating violence. The project aims to foster closer coordination between the various programs on campus; coordinate uniform reporting protocols; improve student awareness of available resources including outreach and referral to counseling and advocacy; and implement ongoing prevention education and training for campus law enforcement, staff, faculty, and all current and incoming students.
Key staff members will be Fineran, who will serve as principal investigator. Fineran’s research examines gender issues and interpersonal violence, including the sexual harassment of school children by their peers, and sexual harassment of working teens by their supervisors and coworkers. Joining her is Jean Bessette from the Muskie School’s Catherine E. Cutler Institute for Child and Family Policy, who will serve as project director. A Campus Interpersonal Violence Safety Program coordinator will be hired.
Project staff will work closely with Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM), a major crisis intervention and resource center for all of southern Maine; Family Crisis Services (FCS), a domestic violence and dating violence project serving victims in Cumberland and Sagadahoc Counties; and the Violence Intervention Partnership of Cumberland County (VIP), a coordinated community response partnership to address domestic violence.
The proposed Campus Interpersonal Violence Safety Program will create a more informed campus that fosters healthy relationships for members of the campus community, resulting in a more supportive, aware, and responsive campus climate.
