Delaware County Community College is one of 38 colleges, and the only community college, to receive a 2018-19 grant from It’s On Us PA.

The college was awarded $26,732.43 through the Pennsylvania Department of Education to help combat campus sexual assault.

“The It’s On Us grant will not only help raise awareness about sexual assault among our students but will help us provide programming that teaches students how to intervene when they witness sexual misconduct occurring,” said Christine Doyle, project director and an assistant professor and counselor.

Launched in 2014, It’s On Us was created by President Barack Obama and the White House Council on Women and Girls as a way to raise awareness about and fight against sexual assault on college campuses.

Gov. Tom Wolf established It’s On Us PA in 2016, creating the first statewide campaign.

This year’s grant will support a project entitled “Bringing in the Bystander: Continuing Our Stand Against Sexual Violence.” The focus is to incorporate awareness of and training for bystanders. This includes helping people understand how to identify a continuum of sexual violence and how to build skills to safely intervene before, during, and after instances of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.

“By focusing on bystander intervention, we hope to empower students and staff to take an active role in contributing to a safe community, while helping to create a cultural shift in which sexual violence is no longer acceptable or tolerated,” said Doyle.