February 9, 2022
K-State addresses campus sexual violence with NASPA's Culture of Respect Collective
Kansas State University has joined a group of 21 colleges and universities from across North America for the sixth cohort of NASPA's Culture of Respect Collective program. The Collective is an ambitious two-year program dedicated to helping end campus sexual violence that guides cohort institutions through a rigorous process of self-assessment and targeted organizational change.
Collective participation will help strengthen K-State's existing campus sexual violence prevention and response efforts, identify gaps that may exist, and develop strategies for addressing areas for improvement, according to Thomas Lane, vice president for student life and dean of students.
Each diverse Collective cohort relies on an expert-developed public health framework, cross-campus collaboration and peer-led learning to make meaningful programmatic and policy changes.
"Participating in the Culture of Respect Collective cohort provides us the framework and tools to assess how effectively we are combatting campus sexual violence and supporting survivors," Lane said. "By bringing together students, faculty and staff, the program rightly recognizes we all play an important part in making positive and meaningful change."
Lane is serving as co-chair of the university's 32-member Culture of Respect Campus Leadership Team along with Jessica Henault, Center for Advocacy, Response and Education prevention specialist.
"Engaging with the Collective is a big step in the right direction to strengthening violence prevention education services offered at K-State," Henault said. "Countless K-State and Manhattan community members have vocalized their support for prevention education. That energy has helped propel K-State to this moment. I am honored to co-chair this important initiative. Together, we will continue to rise and make our campus safer, more equitable, and accessible for all."
More than 125 colleges and universities have participated in the Collective. The program has shown itself to be an adaptable model that helps institutions work across departmental siloes and stay connected with peers as they engage in the critical work of comprehensively addressing campus sexual violence within a shifting social and political landscape.
NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession.