2024 ANNUAL SECURITY REPORT 52 branding were printed and distributed to student leaders who attended educational programs, signed the pledge or supported the campaign. It’s On Us Spring Week of Action: This week-long event series that takes place in both the Fall and Spring semesters intends to educate, engage and empower students and communities to do something big or small to end sexual assault. During the 2023-2024 academic year, the week of action included: workshops on Bystander Intervention, relationship violence, Survivor Self-Care, Consent education, “Real Talk” about mental health, promotional tables with information where students are invited to take the pledge, the annual Take Back the Night and Clothesline project events, and the Red Flag campaign. The red flag campaign is a visual and interactive campaign to raise awareness around red flags of dating and relationships, and how to get help and find resources. A national speaker presented a program on understanding the intersections of ethnicity, gender identity, and being a survivor. Rape Aggression Defense Course (RAD): The RAD course is offered by Public Safety free-of-charge at least once each semester to female campus community members. The course teaches personal safety and self-defense. Referrals are included for Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Women’s Center, and Safe Berks. RAD classes are offered for men upon request. (See the Crime Prevention & Security Awareness Programs for Students, Faculty and Staff section for a full description of the program offered.) Women’s Center: The Women’s Center provides a safe space, compassionate support, on campus counseling referral, and assistance with the reporting processes to past or present survivors of sexual or interpersonal violence. Individuals may visit the center located in the Boxwood House, call 610-683-4655, or email womenscenter@kutztown.edu. In addition, the KU Women’s Center works with Safe Berks, an agency that provides a safe haven and ongoing support system for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide free and confidential campus advocacy services. Services offered include: review all reporting options; provide accompaniment to the Berks County Courthouse to obtain a Protection Order; provide accompaniment to law enforcement interviews and Title IX meetings on campus; and provide referrals to PCAR’s Sexual Violence Legal Assistance Project and other Berks County support services and resources, as needed. Kutztown University has a Safe Berks Campus Advocate is Madison Magala, who can be reached at 484-651-9745 or madisonm@safeberks.org. Safe Berks also has a hotline where a certified advocate is available by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To contact the hotline, an individual may call 844-789-SAFE or Text “SAFE BERKS” to 20121. All services provided by Safe Berks are inclusive and available to every KU student. However, a report to a Safe Berks representative does not constitute a report to the University, since these individuals are not employees of the University and, therefore, are not required to report allegations of a Title IX violation to the University’s Title IX Coordinator or any other University employee with the authority to investigate and/or redress sexual violence on campus. The Women’s Center staff facilitates sexual violence and healthy relationship workshops in classrooms for students. Last year, the “WTF is a Healthy Relationship?” workshops were offered to students affiliated with some Health, Biology, and First Year Seminar classes. This relationship workshop presentation covers the following topics: relationship violence, different types of abuse, stalking, harassment, sexual assault, rape, consent, victim blaming, rape culture, organizations associated with sexual assault awareness, It’s On Us, KU’s Safe Berks sexual assault campus advocate, resources on campus and places to report, and contact information for various individuals and places. Take Back the Night: This educational event sponsored by the Women’s Center focuses on stopping violence within the KU community. This annual inperson event addresses Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Sexual Assault. The Clothesline Project: Sponsored by the Women’s Center, this visual exhibition features a display of shirts with written messages and illustrations that graphically demonstrate the impact of violence.
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