Project Stop Now!

Project STOP NOW!
Special Initiative to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women

The Special Initiative is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women that draws upon the organizational strengths of associations, whose membership consist of institutions of higher education. The o bjective of the initiative includes the development of a coordinated community response, prevention and education programs for incoming students, and training programs for campus police and judicial disciplinary boards.

The United Negro College Fund Special Programs has entered into a cooperative agreement to work with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women and Tougaloo College to launch a program to reduce violent crimes against women on historically black college campuses. The goal is to implement this program across the UNCF 36 affiliated institutions. The purpose for establishing such a project is to ensure that students, administrators, faculty, and staff at historically black, private colleges and universities, are educated, knowledgeable, and armed with the information on how to respond to violent acts committed against women on college campuses.

Goals of Project STOP NOW!

  • To increase awareness and education against violent acts against women on campuses across UNCF member institutions.
  • To develop mandatory programming on violence against women for faculty, staff, and students at UNCF member institutions.
  • To implement and review policies regarding violence against women on campuses specifying zero-tolerance for violent acts committed against women at UNCF member institutions.
  • To train campus security to respond effectively to violent crimes committed against women at UNCF member institutions.

Project Partners

  • U.S. Department of Justice

Office on Violence Against Women

  • United Negro College Fund Special Programs
  • Tougaloo College
  • National Women’s Alliance
Prevalence of On-Campus Violence

Sexual assault and relationship violence are pervasive problems on our campuses and in our communities. These forms of violence are found to be seriously underreported, according to a 2001 survey report by the Violence Against Women Office, indicating that the problem is more pervasive than statistics reveal. The victims of these crimes, who are overwhelmingly women, suffer psychological, physical, and sexual violations, or a combination. The following statistics demonstrate the extent of the problem for college students:

  • African Americans are disproportionately affected by sexual violence. Black women are sexually assaulted at a higher rate-nearly twice as high-than White women (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1999).
  • Half of the women surveyed in the National Institute of Justice Research Report who experienced completed rapes, defined as “unwanted completed penetration by force or threat of force,” did not consider the incident rape. (Fisher, Bonnie S., Francis T. Cullen, and Michael G. Turner, Sexual Victimization of College Women, 2001).
  • According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, more than half of all stalking victims are between 18 and 29 years of age 18-29 years old (U.S. Dept. of Justice Programs, Violence Against Women Office, 1998)

Types of Violence Against Women

Sexual Assault
Sexual assault include any type of sexual conduct or contact that is non consensual, forced, or coerced. It includes rape, attempted rape, child molestation, incest, and some types of sexual harassment. Rape may include stranger rape, acquaintance/date rape, marital rape, and multiple/gang rape. Sexual assault is not about sexual gratification, but about power and control.

Dating/Domestic Violence
Dating/Domestic violence constitutes the intentional use of physical, emotional, verbal, and/or sexual abuse that a current or former boyfriend, husband, or intimate partner uses to obtain or maintain power and control over their partner.

Stalking
Stalking generally refers to harassing or threatening behavior that an individual engages in repeatedly, such as following a person, appearing at a person’s home or place of business, making harassing phone calls, leaving written or verbal messages or objects, or vandalizing a person’s property.

Tips for Providing Help….

  • Be supportive.
  • Be non-judgmental.
  • Listen with concern.
  • Express your concerns.
  • Provide information, options and referrals.
  • Do not make decisions or choices for the student.
  • Do whatever you can to insure the student’s safety.
  • Remember there is never a correct way to responding to sexual assault, stalking, or dating/domestic violence. It is an individualized reaction.

Project STOP NOW!
Project STOP NOW! is a special initiative that the UNCF member institutions have collaborated together to combat violent crimes against men and women on college campuses. Our comprehensive prevention, education, and advocacy program provide services to the entire campus community to include: education, public awareness, victim referral services, resources, campus programming, and networking. For more information or if you or someone you know has experienced a violent crime, please contact your on campus STOP NOW! office.

Project STOP NOW!
Tougaloo College
Office of Student Affairs
500 West County Line Rd.
Tougaloo , MS 39174
Phone: (601) 977-7813
Fax: (601) 977-4157

For more information, contact:

Gladys Jones, Director
Telephone:  601-977-7821
E-mail  gjones@tougaloo.edu