Announcing Cohort 6 of the Culture of Respect Collective

Culture of Respect is excited to announce the participants of Cohort 6 in the Culture of Respect Collective, an ambitious two-year program that brings together institutions of higher education dedicated to ending campus sexual violence and guides them through a rigorous process of self-assessment and targeted organizational change. 

This sixth cohort is comprised of 23 diverse institutions from across North America: 

Adams State University	Kansas State University	Trevecca Nazarene University
Auburn University	Lafayette College	Union County College
Bucknell University	Louisiana State University	University of Houston
Florida State University	Loyola University Chicago	University of Kentucky
Great Falls College Montana State University	Michigan State University	University of Virginia
ITESM Campus Guadalajara	Montclair State University	Walters State Community College
ITESM Campus Santa Fe	Sewanee: The University of the South	Washington University in St. Louis
Jackson College	SUNY Potsdam

Cohort 6 will build on what’s working, embrace what’s new, and navigate the changing tides of what’s next as they apply a system-based approach to ending campus sexual violence:

• Cohort 6 will rely on Culture of Respect’s signature tools - the newly updated CORE Blueprint and CORE Evaluation self-assessment survey - as the framework for assessing and addressing sexual violence and to guide the creation of unique institutional plans for systemic change that go above and beyond standard compliance. As a 2020 Culture of Respect report shows, institutions who adhere to the program model make significant changes in prevention and response and better align their institutional policies and practices with federal laws and evidence-based and expert-recommended practices.

• Their work will be led by multidisciplinary groups of campus stakeholders, consistent with the Culture of Respect principle that every person on campus can be a force for change in ending sexual violence and that collaboration is essential for this effort. More than three quarters of past participants cited the increased collaboration between departments and colleagues prompted by the Collective to be a benefit of their participation in the program.

• In addition to the support and technical assistance provided by Culture of Respect staff, the sixth cohort will benefit from access to NASPA’s robust professional development opportunities, including the 2023 NASPA Strategies Conferences. Subject matter knowledge is essential for effective sexual violence task forces, as research shows, so Culture of Respect offers myriad opportunities to further develop a knowledge base in sexual violence prevention and response.

Ultimately, this cohort will begin their work in the Collective at a challenging junction in the state of Title IX compliance: the Department of Education has announced its plans to propose a new Title IX rule in April 2022. While these changes may leave institutions feeling uncertain, Culture of Respect will serve as a support and resource to schools as they navigate these and other challenges in the landscape of sexual violence prevention and response.

Culture of Respect commends the institutions of Collective Cohort 6 for their commitment furthering their efforts in sexual violence response and prevention and looks forward to our work together.