Welcoming the 5th Cohort of the Culture of Respect Collective

Culture of Respect is excited to announce the participating institutions in Cohort 5 of 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 fifth cohort, comprised of 19 diverse institutions from across the United States, 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 5 will rely on Culture of Respect’s signature tools - the CORE Blueprint and the CORE Evaluation self-assessment survey - as a framework to inventory their efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence, and to guide the creation of unique institutional plans for systemic change that go above and beyond standard compliance.

• Their work will be led by multidisciplinary groups of campus stakeholders, because Culture of Respect believes we all have a role to play in ending sexual violence at institutions of higher education. When previous cohorts were asked what was most helpful to them in the program, more than three quarters of the participants cited the increased collaboration between departments and colleagues prompted by their participation.

• In addition to the signature personal support and technical assistance from Culture of Respect staff, the fifth cohort will benefit from access to NASPA’s robust professional development opportunities, including:

• The Foundations online course, which prepares student affairs professionals with the tools they need to be influential allies in campus sexual violence prevention and response

• Networking with Collective peers at the 2022 NASPA Strategies Conferences

• Access to NASPA’s Certified Peer Educator (CPE) Train-the-Trainer Course

• Participants will also build their knowledge and skills through regular professional development and networking opportunities.

• As our recent report shows, when institutions adhere to the program model, they can make significant changes across the six pillars of the CORE Blueprint and better align their institutional policies and practices with federal laws and evidence-based and expert-recommended practices.

Cohort 5 has begun their work in the Collective at an exciting but uncertain time in higher education. At their start in January 2021, colleges and universities continued to strike the difficult balance between best serving their students while keeping them safe. Additionally, after an abrupt release of new Title IX regulations by the Department of Education in August 2020, President Biden issued an executive order in March 2021 ordering the department to reexamine and reconsider these rules. Culture of Respect commends the institutions of Collective Cohort 5 for their commitment  furthering their efforts in sexual violence response and prevention despite these challenging times.