Division News & Statements
Dean Sullivan & Chief Freeman: Campus Safety
August 29, 2016
Dear Laker Community,
Whether you are new to campus or are a continuing community member, we hope this year will be a positive one for you. That being said, we wanted to reach out to you today to discuss a matter that concerns the Grand Valley State University community. GVSU Alerts-Safety Notices were sent to email accounts this weekend regarding two sexual assaults reported to have occurred off campus.
We want to take this opportunity to address the issue of sexual violence, which may be a difficult topic for some members of our community.
Sexual violence, including sexual assault, stalking, intimate partner violence, and harassment is a common and devastating reality on college campuses. When it occurs, individuals are deeply impacted as is the entire campus community. The administration at Grand Valley is committed to educating our community about safety, sexual assault and the resources available if an assault occurs. GVSU takes sexual assault very seriously and we are continuously looking for ways to educate and protect our students, faculty and staff. That is one of the reasons we put the alerts out to warn our community about any danger or threats to public safety. It is not a legal requirement when an incident occurs off campus, but we believe it is the right thing to do to inform and help protect our campus community. Creating a safe and secure environment is our focus.
We are asking you to unite with us in our efforts to address the issue of sexual violence, and we encourage you to be active bystanders. As you may know we are part of a national movement to change campus culture called It’s On Us . Community members may also utilize the Rave Guardian App as a risk reduction option. Additionally, GVSU Police provide SafeWalk services and patrol campus, working with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department in Allendale and the Grand Rapids Police Department downtown to have a greater presence on our campuses.
Moving forward, the University will continue its work to encourage a healthy, safe, and nondiscriminatory environment by supporting victim/survivors, investigating in response to reports and expanding our prevention efforts.
Most Sincerely,
Eileen Sullivan
Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Student
Renee Freeman
Chief of Police
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following resources are available. For a complete list of on and off campus resources please visit Grand Valley State University’s Victim’s Rights and Options Webpage
CAMPUS RESOURCES
For Victim Advocate:
Ashley Schulte, Victim Advocate, (616) 331-2748 or [email protected]
For Title IX:
Theresa Rowland, Title IX
Coordinator & Equity Officer/Director, (616) 331-9530 or [email protected]
For confidential counseling:
University Counseling Center, (616) 331-3266, https://www.gvsu.edu/counsel/
For Grand Valley State University Police Department (GVPD)
Nonemergency (616) 331-3255, https://www.gvsu.edu/gvpd/
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Nurse Examiner Medical Service available 24 hours a day at no cost
Center for Women in Transition
411 Butternut Drive
Holland, MI 49423
(616) 392-1970 or
800-848-5991
866-728-2131 (Español)
www.cwitmi.org
YWCA of West Central Michigan
25 Sheldon Blvd
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 776-7273
www.ywcawcmi.org