Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
Lily Verren, Campus Carrier staff writer
The Berry Reducing Assault and Violence through Education (BRAVE) project has been granted a yearlong extension on campus. This will allow Berry to use existing funds to further the work of the project and to continue educating students and survivors of dating violence.
BRAVE is a federally funded program that began three years ago in an effort to continue the dating violence prevention work on campus. The strategic plan for this project includes efforts of comprehensive prevention, training for student conduct, law enforcement training and victim services, which will continue through this extension.
“The goal of this [year-long] extension is in general to continue the efforts for good mental health and to provide support for students who might be struggling at any given moment,” President Steve Briggs said. “The extension allows us to keep the director on board for a period of time and then at the end of that, we can re-apply for the grant and continue the program.”
According to Ashley Demonbreun-Chapman, the BRAVE project coordinator, BRAVE has been survivor-focused, working to provide them with options in cases of harassment, stalking and dating violence, even those not covered by Title IX.
“We really want it to be a program that feels safe for survivors,” Demonbreun-Chapman said. “The funding is awarded to schools who are committed to doing prevention work, by making sure we have accessible and inclusive prevention education available across campus and that it’s ongoing. The other part of the grant is making sure support is available to survivors who experience dating violence and those crimes.”
The primary goal of the BRAVE project in relation to survivors is ensuring they have help available to them through a coordinated community response. According to Demonbreun-Chapman, there is confidential reporting as well as advocacy for survivors through a coordinated community response on campus. This coordination sets up a network of support that can be beneficial to survivors who may not know where to start.
“For a lack of a better term, we have a task force,” Demonbreun-Chapman said. “The sexual assault center is coordinating, law enforcment is on the team, confidential resources like the counseling center on campus, the health center, and then the student conduct and prevention teams. I coordinate the efforts in bringing them together and we focus on those goals of prevention but also response.”
After this extension ends, Berry will apply for a renewal of the grant, which is a very competitive process, meaning there is no guarantee that Berry will receive the renewal, but the BRAVE team feels confident that the work that has been accomplished thus far with the grant will be an influential factor in the decision for grant renewal, especially with how many students have benefitted from this program.
“We’ve really reached a lot of students with this program so far,” Demonbreun-Chapman said. “There’s been a lot of impact on the culture at berry so I think we would really have a compelling application. We’ve been working on building two separate plans: one if we do get the grant renewal and one if we don’t. They’re both to be in place to make sure that we can really further the educational efforts that we’re putting in right now and keep those going even if we don’t get the renewal.”
With the support network generated by the BRAVE project, students now have greater flexibility when they are faced with a situation that they feel they want to report confidentially, rather than being limited to TItle IX, where they would become involved in an investigation. According to Demonbreun-Chapman, the progress being generated by the program is enabling Berry to become a safer campus and create an environment of security and safety.
“I’m very hopeful for the future of BRAVE,” Demonbreun-Chapman said. “Whether or not the grant is renewed, Berry will continue to be a place where students can feel safe and advocated for.”
To reach the BRAVE project, contact Ashley Demonbreun-Chapman, project coordinator at ademonbreunchapman@berry.edu or 706.238.7957, or Michael McElveen at Mmcelveen@berry.edu or 706.368.5633.