MU Receives $40K Grant to Support It’s On Us Initiatives

The Center for Health Education and Promotion at Millersville University has been awarded a $40,000 grant from It's On Us PA to expand initiatives aimed at preventing sexual assault on campus. The effort will focus on educating students about affirmative consent, bystander intervention and available support services.

It's On Us PA is a statewide campaign that invites everyone to play a role in ending sexual assault. Building off the momentum of the national It's On Us movement, It's On Us PA brings together college and university presidents, superintendents, administrators, teachers, students, families and community members to reframe the conversation around sexual violence and pledge to be part of the solution.

The Office of Student Affairs, specifically CHEP, will use the award to educate the campus community about consent, healthy relationships and ways to combat sexual violence.

"This grant will continue work done in the past and build more relationships on campus with faculty, staff and others in the campus community," says Dr. Miguel Pereira, Millersville's Title IX coordinator and labor relations manager. "This initiative is important for our campus community to understand that sexual violence can happen at any time and to anyone."

Millersville's It's On Us chapter educates students on how to combat violence, provides community resources such as the Young Women's Christian Association and Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County and collaborates with campus offices, including Athletics, to spread awareness and education about sexual violence.

"We are so appreciative and lucky to receive grants like this to support our mission and the people we serve," says the chapter's co-presidents Lily Crowell and Emily Moyer. "Our impact would not be possible without the support and encouragement of others, and we are grateful for the guidance Dr. Miguel Pereira provides."

Crowell and Moyer, who are pursuing careers in social justice, said their leadership roles in the chapter offer valuable experience and insight. Through tabling events, they raise awareness about the impact and consequences of normalizing sexual assault.

The chapter works to dispel stigma surrounding sexual violence and inform students about communities that provide support and advocacy. Members also participate in events such as Denim Day, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and DATES Week throughout the year to demonstrate solidarity with survivors and others working to prevent sexual harm.

"The future is bright with this initiative as I hope to continue the great work done by our campus and explore new opportunities to get other students, offices, faculty and staff involved who haven't been in the past," says Pereira.

Pereira would like to recognize the following offices and faculty members who support the It's On Us PA initiative:

• Offices of Human Resources
• Millersville University Police Department
• Millersville Athletics
• Millersville President Dr. Daniel Wubah
• Vice President of Finance and Administration Dr. Nafez Alyan
• It's On Us chapter and its co-presidents, Emily Moyer and Lily Crowell.

Learn more about the "It's On Us" initiative here: https://www.millersville.edu/chep/healthy-relationships/its-on-us/.