Juniata's Award Winning Program

Juniata College was featured: “Small Colleges, Big Impact” read more about it.

Juniata's Initiative

Juniata College is fostering a culture of consent. As a campus partner with the national program It’s On Us, we recognize that each person in our community must commit to creating a space that is free of violence, intimidation and coercion such that each is able to fully engage in the myriad of Juniata’s educational opportunities. This individual commitment requires that we be informed and aware of individual and community risks, and signs of distress in ourselves and our peers. Understanding that It’s On Us, means that we must strive for a campus community that reflects:

  • Every individual has the capacity and agency to make safe and responsible choices that shows respect for self and others
  • Our educational commitment extends to understanding the hallmarks of healthy relationships, and signs and symptoms that reflect unhealthy relationships
  • Practical techniques for courageous intervention to prevent harm and disrupt cycles of abuse and violence are broadly understood and practiced
  • Confidential resources and advocates on campus and within the local community available to support people who are victims and survivors of interpersonal violence and sexual misconduct
  • Clear institutional policies related to sexual misconduct and interpersonal violence and transparent processes that provide respectful, humane interventions that investigate and resolve reports effectively and appropriately
  • Options and opportunities for victims and survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence to report their stories and experiences to campus authorities committed to respecting autonomy and privacy, as well as to local authorities who can provide civil and criminal alternatives

Juniata College will not tolerate sexual assault or sexual violence of any kind. Sexual violence refers to physical sexual acts perpetrated against an individual will; or where an individual is incapable of giving consent due to the use of drugs or alcohol or because of intellectual or other disabilities.

To better understand students' experiences of sexual violence on campus, Juniata College conducts regular assessments of students attitudes and experiences, including the HEDS Consortium Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey in Spring 2015, aspects of the Diverse Learning Environments survey conducted in Spring 2016, and the American College Health Association assessment conducted in Fall 2016. Overviews and conclusions that followed from this collected data will be shared on an ongoing basis with members of the campus community at open forums, leadership gatherings and representative bodies. Change comes from understanding how the lived experiences of students on our campus differ from the community we intend to cultivate. Our hope is that the open sharing of this information will move us to engage in critical conversations that will further shift our campus culture to reflect the educational community free of violence and intimidation, and fully inclusive of all people, to which we aspire.

It's On Us