UC Davis has been awarded $543,000 to develop a comprehensive program to prevent and respond to violence against women on campus. The program's benefits promise to spread across the country as other colleges and universities use materials developed here. The UC Davis Police Department received the largest share of more than $8.1 million awarded to 21 colleges and universities by the U.S. Department of Justice's Violence Against Women Office. It is the only grant awarded in California. "The university is committed to preventing violence against women and to responding effectively when it does occur," said Janet Hamilton, vice chancellor of administration, who has responsibility for the police department. "One of the real strengths of the project is how it will integrate the efforts and resources of so many campus offices and programs to address the problem." Involving some 40 campus and off-campus organizations, the two-year project will offer victim services and advocacy; identify and assist in the prosecution of perpetrators; and provide education, outreach and training. It will augment the police department's Campus Violence Prevention Program, now in its 20th year and the largest at a UC campus. Jennifer Beeman, manager of the existing program, will serve as project director. "This project will significantly expand the advocacy, counseling and prevention programs we now offer," Beeman said. "And through the program model and materials it shares with other colleges and universities, UC Davis will help other campuses combat violence against women." The project aims to increase self-reporting of violent acts against women, the success rate for offender prosecution, and the severity and frequency of campus discipline. Among its other goals, Beeman said, are raising awareness of the problem among all members of the university community and altering campus norms regarding the acceptability of violence against women. Specifically, the project will: o Create a team to respond to violence against women, including a police detective, a victims advocate, a Student Judicial Affairs officer and a counselor or psychologist; o Provide training, education and outreach programs with targeted ones for international students and members of communities of color as well as the campus Greek and athletic communities; o Conduct an information campaign to change attitudes about campus violence; o Develop other ways to change social norms, including a training program on gender socialization and power relationships for teaching assistants, housing staff, counselors, Student Judicial Affairs staff and others; and o Train women in self-defense. Chief Calvin Handy of the UC Davis Police Department said the grant acknowledges that collaboration among various campus programs and units creates a synergy "that improves our efforts to create a safe environment for women at UC Davis." The grant provides funding for six part-time positions including the members of the response team and two others-one to develop the targeted programs for international students and members of communities of color and the second to develop ways to change social norms. Materials developed for use by other campuses will include a complete guide to the UC Davis project; guides for tailoring programs and services to members of special student populations; and materials for conducting a social norms campaign. Also, UC Davis will produce three videotapes for other campuses to use to orient incoming students to violence prevention policies, accompany student presentations on gender- and violence-related issues, and train individuals in key positions to recognize and respond to the problems of violence against women.