The message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
(TW: This message references sexual assault.)
April 19, 2022
Dear students,
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and we’re writing today to reaffirm our commitment to sexual misconduct prevention and accountability at Duke. We also want to remind all students of our campus policies and the avenues available to students impacted by gender violence to access support and formally report incidents to Duke and to the local authorities.
There is no place for sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault at Duke. Our teams strive to promote a campus community that values respect, safety, and accountability.
The Division of Student Affairs and the Office for Institutional Equity are committed to fostering a culture of respect and prevention, while at the same time responding with swift and consistent action to any and all allegations of sexual misconduct.
We are pleased to share that the Division of Student Affairs will establish a Center for Gender Violence Prevention and Intervention (GVPI) in Fall 2022. This GVPI Center will allow us to significantly expand Duke’s prevention and intervention efforts and improve transparency and accessibility of supports for all graduate, professional and undergraduate students. The GVPI center will allow us to sustain efforts to create a safer and healthier environment on campus and improve transparency and access to needed supports and trainings. This change stems from feedback from student leaders, campus partners and alumni; it also aligns Duke best practices in addressing sexual assault through active prevention, intervention, and accountability.
A search for a director of GVPI is currently underway, and students will interact with candidates as they come to campus for interviews. After a director is in place, GVPI will hire clinicians who will offer therapeutic services for students of all genders who are survivors of gender violence, including sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, cyber sexual harassment, and sexual harassment.
GVPI will also have a focus on prevention through the deployment of peer educators and facilitators. We hope to strengthen and further develop existing partnership with student leaders, including SHAPE, RA staff, and DuWell interns, to further develop programming and outreach on sexual health and well-being, gender-based violence prevention, healthy relationships, campus policies, and Federal and State laws.
While much work lies ahead, we remain wholeheartedly committed to ensuring Duke is a place where every member of the community can learn, teach, study, and work, free from sexual misconduct of any sort. True prevention is an ongoing collaborative effort and shared responsibility, and we remain committed to taking tangible steps toward a safer community at Duke.
Thank you for your commitment to our Duke community.
Sincerely,
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs
Kimberly Hewitt
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
