Grayson Mendenhall Chancellor | Student Development Beat
The Committee
for Integrity at Appalachian (CIA) applied today for a federal grant
to acquire funding for programs concerning rape on college campuses
in the United States.
If awarded, the grant will come from the U.S. Department of Education.
The CIA hopes to use the funding to educate people about the current
problem of rape on college campuses and to find ways to reduce the
number of rapes on campuses nationwide.
Catherine Bath, program director for the non-profit organization
Security on Campus, Inc., contacted the CIA and offered to assist
the organization in the grant application process.
“There is an epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses
these days … We’re here trying to make college campuses
safer for students,” Bath said.
A recent survey by the CIA showed one out of seven women at Appalachian
State University have been the victim of rape or attempted rape.
The results were consistent with the national average of rapes on
other campuses.
“The problem at Appalachian State University is no worse or
no better than anywhere else,” Bath said.
The grant money could help reduce the number of rapes per year on
the Appalachian campus.
Grant money will be used for many projects designed to make people
more aware of the problem of campus rape, Security On Campus, Inc.
Vice President Daniel Carter said.
“There will be a public service announcement, some speakers,
an information booklet, a Web site and further study on the matter,”
Carter said. “The overall purpose of the grant is to help reduce
the number of sexual assaults on campus.”
University Physician Dr. Patricia A. Geiger said she thinks education
about campus rape will be the most beneficial result of the grant
being awarded to the CIA.
“I’ve always thought that the more people that know about
the problem the better,” Geiger said.
Bath said it would greatly benefit Appalachian to support and encourage
the CIA’s activities.
“It would bring nothing but accolades to ASU for being so proactive
about the problem … It would be good publicity,” Bath
said.
The CIA will find out whether or not they received the grant by
the end of May.
