Conferences

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Indiana University is pleased to announce that on August 11th, 2016, 123 campus professionals, community professionals, researchers, and students attended its sexual violence prevention conference focusing specifically on commuter campuses; this conference was the first of its kind in the United States. The conference, "Creating Cultures of Care and Compassion: Commuter and Regional Campuses' Role in the Prevention of Sexual Violence," focused on sexual violence prevention for commuter, non-residential, and regional campuses.

 

Conference Information:

The one-day conference took place on August 11, 2016. It was hosted by Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

A diverse group of presenters from a variety of large and small commuter campuses and community agencies educated attendees. The keynote speaker was Professor Jennifer Drobac from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. You can access the conference program here.

The conference was open to the following constituents:
  • Campus professionals (staff, faculty, and administrators) at commuter, non-residential, and regional campuses involved in sexual violence prevention efforts
  • Researchers examining best practices in sexual violence prevention for commuter campuses
  • Professionals at community organizations (rape crisis centers, domestic violence agencies, youth organizations, etc.); professionals at high schools and elementary schools; and police officers and prosecutors wanting to strengthen relationships with their local commuter campuses
  • Graduate student leaders on their commuter campuses, or graduate students conducting research on sexual violence prevention
  • Undergraduate student leaders on their commuter campuses

Why was this conference focused on commuter campuses?

Over the past few years, sexual violence prevention and response efforts on university campuses have dramatically increased. However, many programs and efforts seem to be designed to appeal to students who live on traditional, residential campuses. Social norms campaigns, bystander intervention trainings, and primary prevention programs that appeal to residential students may not be effective for students who attend commuter, non-residential, or regional campuses, for a variety of reasons. We hoped that this conference would provide a collegial, supportive space for campus professionals, student leaders, and their community partners to network, share ideas and strategies, and brainstorm about best practices about how to effectively engage commuter students and create comprehensive sexual violence prevention efforts for their campuses, as well as beyond their campus boundaries.

 

The conference was funded by the following entities:

The conference was made possible by the collaborative efforts of these planning committee members:

  • Sheila Armstead, IU East
  • John Dalton, IU East
  • Scott Fulk, IU Northwest
  • Kevin Griffith, IU South Bend
  • Kathleen Grove, IUPUI
  • Mike Hines, IUPUI
  • Mahri Irvine, IU
  • Sareen Lambright Dale, IUPUI 
  • Julie Lash, IUPUI
  • Marty McCampbell, IU South Bend
  • Cynthia Murphy, IU South Bend
  • Karen Richie, IU Southeast
  • Piper Rowley, IUPUI
  • Sarah Sarber, IU Kokomo
  • Beth Tyler, IU Northwest
  • Laura Whitney, IU South Bend
  • Aimee Zoeller, IUPUC  

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Funding for this project was made possible (in part) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Indiana State Department of Health. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.