Pascrell, Gottheimer Announce $300,000 Grant to Passaic County Community College to Combat Campus Sexual Violence

Award arrives amid DeVos attacks on campus sexual assault policies

PATERSON, NJ – Today, U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) celebrated the awarding of a $299,895 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to Passaic County Community College (PCCC). The grant will be implemented to build out campus programs geared towards reducing sexual assault and dating and domestic violence on campus.

“When we send our children off to college, knowing they are safe is at the top of our minds. Campus sexual assault and violence must be combatted with every available resource,” said Rep. Pascrell, a former educator and former member of the PCCC Board of Trustees. “As Education Secretary DeVos is currently working to roll back protections for survivors of sexual assault on college campuses, it is more important than ever to ensure that institutions of higher education who want to do more to protect their students have the resources necessary to do so. This generous award will help PCCC work with students, staff, and local groups and law enforcement to improve their communications channels to prevent campus sexual violence and strengthen campus services that aid students during incidents of sexual assault.”

“To ensure the safety of our children at school, we must do everything we can to reduce sexual assault and dating and domestic violence,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer. “I’m proud that, working with local officials, we shifted these DOJ resources away from Moocher States to Jersey. The Fifth District has already clawed back to New Jersey more than $290 per household — a 16% increase over recent years. The more we can encourage our mayors, council, and first responders to apply for and win these grants, the more our return will increase, helping cut property taxes, making living in New Jersey more affordable for families and businesses.”

“The Department of Justice Violence Against Woman program provides essential resources to help our college prevent and respond to crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking,” said Steven M. Rose, Ed.D., President, Passaic County Community College. “The College partners with numerous community organizations to raise awareness of these crimes and provide resources for victims. We thank Congressman Pascrell for his support in bringing these essential programs to our College.”

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is currently working to roll back campus sexual assault protections for survivors, according to various news reports. Ever since the department repealed President Obama’s 2011 guidance last year, schools that have made great strides to protect their students since then were suddenly left in limbo. Now, the Trump administration has decided to reverse course and go back to when policies made it harder for survivors of sexual assault to seek recourse. DeVos’s new proposed guidance will also create a confusing patchwork of requirements, where the standard of evidence will vary school to school. Rep. Pascrell opposes these changes and will push back against this flawed policy that will hinder the progress made to safeguard student safety at our colleges and universities.

The DOJ award is part of the Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus Program out of the Office on Violence Against Women. This funding is typically used to create prevention and education programs, enhance survivor services, and develop or increase campus security channels to prevent or prosecute these crimes. PCCC will work closely with the Passaic County Women’s Center, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the Paterson Police Department, as well as health providers, housing officials, school administrators, student leaders, faith-based organizations, and others to develop existing and new strategies for educating students on sexual assault and related services.

Created in 1995, the Office on Violence Against Women provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. The office administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

In Congress, Rep. Pascrell has fought hard to protect the mission of the Office on Violence Against Women by consistently supporting the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, as well as full funding for the programs under this law that are administered by the OVW. Rep. Pascrell has also collaborated closely with the OVW to secure a previous $300,000 grant for PCCC in September 2015.

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