RVSM Workgroup
Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup
In April 2021, after several years of research and analysis, the RVSM Expert Advisory Workgroup released an institution-wide strategic plan to address sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence and stalking issues that collectively will help foster a safer campus community. The Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Strategic Plan outlines seven initiatives along with actions and timelines for measuring progress toward meeting the university's goals.
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Who we are
MSU has created and convened an expert advisory workgroup of trusted leaders within the institution who have:
- Demonstrated significant expertise relevant to relationship violence and sexual misconduct (RVSM)
- In-depth knowledge about the programs, services and policies at MSU
- A strong track record of working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to improve services for survivors of relationship violence and sexual misconduct and promote prevention education
Our purpose
- Know More: Gather input, suggestions, and ideas from students, faculty and staff is necessary to ensure diverse viewpoints are brought into campus decision making
- Do More: Make recommendations to the president to help address sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence and stalking issues that collectively will help foster a safer, more supportive campus community.
- Support More: Be a resource to the MSU community by sharing our knowledge and expertise on RVSM issues as MSU creates a trauma informed culture and learns to respond to survivors of relationship violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and/or stalking in an informed and caring way.
Our work
Creating new organizational structures and survivor support services
Since our formation in February 2018, the RVSM Workgroup has celebrated the creation of the following organizational structures and services:
- Creation of the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX Education and Compliance which oversees the university’s civil rights and Title IX education, investigation, and compliance efforts, including MSU’s investigatory unit, the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE); the Office of the ADA Coordinator; as well as the Prevention, Outreach, and Education (POE) Department.
- Growth of the Prevention, Outreach, & Education Department, which included expanding from one to twelve staff members and the development of additional mandatory and elective prevention programming
- Assisted development of the campus sexual assault response team, including the hiring of a full-time coordinator to develop relationships across campus
- Supported the opening of the MSU Sexual Assault Healthcare Program, which provides free, 24-hour first-response medical care for sexual assault survivors over the age of 18, in 2020
Design and implementation of the KNOW MORE @ MSU Campus Survey
The RVSM Workgroup determined that surveying students, faculty, and staff was important to fully assess campus climate. However, established measures had not been developed for faculty and staff and needed to be tailored to fit MSU’s needs. MSU contracted an independent, non-profit research organization, RTI International, to develop and administer the survey, process the data, and report the results. The first KNOW MORE @ MSU survey was fielded to all students, faculty, and staff from March-May 2019 and over 15,000 students participated in the survey; the second iteration of the survey was fielded from March-May 2022.
Launch of the Support More initiative
The Support More initiative focuses on providing guidance for how to respond to disclosures of relationship violence, sexual assault or abuse, sexual harassment and stalking in a manner that is helpful to survivors as well as promoting the availability of related campus resources and services.
Developing a strategic plan
From 2018-2020, the workgroup conducted an environmental scan to gather data from diverse groups of stakeholders, which was used to inform all aspects of the strategic plan, including the identification of guiding values. Data were collected through listening sessions, policy and program reviews by external and independent law firms, and a campus-wide RVSM survey. The workgroup also reviews current RVSM, diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality research to identify empirically-supported programs to support survivors and prevent violence.
Our progress
The workgroup aims to create a campus culture marked by increased help-seeking and decreased incidence of RVSM. To do so, we are developing trauma-informed, intersectional programs to address the needs of MSU’s diverse communities. Our key initiatives include:
- Expanding trauma-informed services
- Building trauma-informed culture
- Strengthening RVSM policy violations, sanctions, and discipline process
- Assessing resources and supports for respondents
- Strengthening RVSM prevention programming
- Creating respectful work environments
- Promoting accountability
The strategic plan outlines these recommendations and steps toward reaching them. You can track our progress toward each initiative by visiting our strategic plan dashboard.
Status report July 2019 (Text Only)
MSU SARV Task Force Recommendations 2014
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Read the bios of workgroup members.