Dear campus community,
The University of Maryland, along with campuses and advocacy organizations across the nation, will spend the month of April recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We do this because every student and community member has the right and expectation to learn and work in an environment that is free from sexual misconduct.
However, we face a disturbing truth that sexual assault is a deeply problematic issue on college and university campuses. We face it here at the University of Maryland, and we see sexual assault and power-based violence rooted in all areas of society. As a leadership team and as members of this community, we recognize that this is not acceptable and we are resolute in our commitment to take action.
Our commitmentWe will continue to dedicate campus resources to creating a community that works to end sexual misconduct in all forms. We are proud of the work our students are doing to advocate on this issue on behalf of themselves and others, and want all of our students to know that we stand with you. In fact, we've been actively meeting with students over the past few months to determine the best ways that students and administrators can work together to advance our shared aims—to eradicate power-based violence. In time, we will develop shared actions together.
We will also continue to advocate on your behalf to create a campus community where everyone can feel safe. We are proud to support advocacy efforts by continuing to dedicate university resources to this issue, and we have contributed to the forthcoming Occupy McKeldin demonstration.
Throughout the year, dedicated staff in the Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct (OCRSM) and Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence (CARE) provide ongoing prevention and education programming to promote respect for others and provide students, faculty and staff with the skills needed to prevent violence. The Sexual Assault Prevention Committee (SAPC) is a committee of stakeholders on campus who meet regularly to implement and coordinate our sexual assault prevention plan.
Get help and take actionLearn more about the resources available across our campus, including confidential and non-confidential campus resources, off-campus resources, national resources, reporting options, and information on how to file a complaint. In particular, we encourage community members looking for help to reach out to:
- Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence (CARE)
- Phone: 301-314-2222
- Crisis Line: 301-741-3442
- The Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct (Title IX Office)
- Phone: 301-405-1142
- Email: TitleIXCoordinator@umd.edu
- Counseling Center
- Phone: 301-314-7651
- After-Hours Crisis Line: 301-314-7651
Throughout the month of April, offices and groups across campus will be hosting events in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. A full listing of events can be found on the campus calendar. Some upcoming events include:
- Friday, March 31, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.: Crafts & Cookies: Sexual Assault Awareness (SAAM) Kickoff Event
- Monday, April 3, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.: Tea with Title IX
- Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.: CARE in Conversation: LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Prevention
- Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.: Take Back the Night & The Clothesline Project
- Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.: One Night with One Love
We hope to see you at any one of our events. Preventing and ending sexual assault on our campus can only be done when we stand together to create change.
Sincerely,
