Boise State University

Location

Boise, Idaho

Situation

Boise State is a fiscal year 2020 recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Grant to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking on Campus Program (Campus Program). In 2023, the university received a continuation grant that provided funding for three more years.

As a grant recipient, Boise State must meet the mandatory minimum requirements of the OVW Campus Program, including establishing a Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) that meets regularly, implementing trauma-informed law enforcement and conduct officer training, establishing a comprehensive prevention solution, and providing victim services that are accessible 24/7. In the first year of their grant, they are required to create a strategic plan that guides this work.

Wrapped around these minimum requirements are adhering to the Clery Act, incorporating culturally-specific approaches, and engaging men. The commitment of the university is essential for grant recipients to meet the requirements and to stay on track during the three-year Campus Program.

An Overview of the OVW Campus Program

The Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus Program (Campus Program)was created by Congress in recognition of the unique issues and challenges that colleges and universities face in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking (DVSAS).

The Campus Program is designed to establish a comprehensive coordinated community approach that enhances victim safety, provides services for victims, supports efforts to hold offenders accountable, and engages a prevention strategy that reaches all students. The funding supports activities that develop and strengthen trauma-informed and culturally responsive victim services and strategies to prevent, investigate, and respond to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking (DVSAS).

This campus-wide coordinated approach should involve campus or community victim service providers, law enforcement/campus safety officers, health services providers, housing officials, administrators, student leaders, faith-based leaders, representatives from student organizations, disciplinary board members, and other campus and community stakeholders.

The Soteria Solution

Soteria Solutions has been the Strategic Planning and Assessment technical assistance (TA) provider for all OVW Campus Program grant recipients. In this role, Soteria Solutions President, Jane Stapleton, and LB Klein, Director of Evaluation and Implementation worked closely with Adriane Bang, Associate Dean of Students at Boise State, to develop their strategic plan during the first year of their grant in 2020.

Adriane described herself as “overwhelmed and intimidated” by the thought of developing the strategic plan. With three training and technical assistance (TA) sessions in year one, Adriane received the support, guidance, and tools from Stapleton and Klein to break down developing the strategic plan into manageable steps.

Bang described the Soteria Solutions team in these TA strategy sessions as being ‘energized, supportive, passionate, and patient’.

In years two and three, the training and TA workshops shifted to helping Boise State assess and evaluate the implementation of their grant activities. Focusing on the ‘why’ of their work and refining how to convey impact succinctly and clearly in the form of a ‘pitch’ were focus areas that Stapleton and Klein assisted Boise State with as their strategic plan was being implemented.

The Results

For Boise State, the strategic plan has been vital in communicating with campus leaders about the work being done and has given the office leading this work a seat at the table with leadership that the Associate Dean of Students had not imagined was possible.

Additional outcomes of the OVW Campus Program and working with Soteria Solutions on the development of the strategic plan and ongoing technical assistance on implementation and evaluation include:

1. The strategic plan resonates with university leadership; prior to this grant, there was a lack of such clarity and alignment.
2. The Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) that was established has created partnerships in the Boise State community and a common vision as they work together to implement their strategic plan.
3. Boise State has a clear plan and path forward in addressing dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
4. There is an increased sense of unity and collaboration regarding this work.

The team at Boise State has continued improvement in telling their story of the impact they are making, along with making a compelling case for ongoing support.