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ComMunity of CARE Program

The Community of Care program is a grant program funded by the Department of Justice

The program is working to build a safe campus culture around dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This program provides services such as educational programming, prevention, and resources for survivors.

View ComMUnity of Care Resource Guide to see campus, local, and national resources and information.

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GG-02390-CAMP awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

Resources

There are two kinds of resources:

Confidential Resources: Confidential resources do not report crimes and/or violations to law enforcement or college officials without permission, except for extreme circumstances, such as a health and/or safety emergency.

Private Resource: Private resources are Marian University offices and employees who cannot guarantee confidentiality but will maintain privacy to the greatest extent possible, and information disclosed will be relayed only as necessary to investigate and/or seek resolution and to notify the Title IX Coordinator or designee.

Private resources are also known as mandatory reporters, as all Marian University employees are mandatory reporters unless they are listed as confidential. Mandatory reporters are required to share any instance of or information known about sexual harassment, including dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, to the Title IX Coordinator.

Definitions

To see definitions for Title IX terminology, see Key Title IX Terminology

Explanation of Title IX

Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972 promises equal access to education for all students, and it protects them against discrimination on the basis of sex. As an institution of higher education receiving federal financial assistance, Marian University supports Title IX and works to ensure that all Marian University students have equal access to education. While Title IX does involve response to sexual harassment and sexual violence, it also includes discrimination in areas such as gender harassment, athletics, admissions, recruitment, scholarships, and support for pregnant and parenting students. Title IX does not only apply to female students. It protects any person from sex-based discrimination, regardless of their sex, gender identity, or gender expression.

As a Marian University student, you are entitled to safety, protection, and support.

Learn more about Title IX by visiting https://www.marian.edu/title-ix.

 

Clery Act

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (known as the Clery Act) is a federal law requiring United States colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disseminate a public annual security report (ASR) to employees and students every October 1st. This ASR must include statistics of campus crime for the preceding 3 calendar years, plus details about efforts taken to improve campus safety. Victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking have specific rights, options, and resources guaranteed to them by the Clery Act.

Marian University Statistics 

Marian University is required to publish the Annual Security Report for the previous year on October 1st. Here you can find the 2024 report.

Coordinated Community Response Team

As a part of the OVW grant work, we have created a Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) to address prevention, intervention, and response of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Members from across the campus community come together so we can to put into action our shared goals to address interpersonal violence at Marian University.

Student Rights As a Marian University student, you are expected to follow all polices outlined in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. This is updated each academic year.

Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities

Firefly Children and Family Alliance

All Marian University students have access to Survivor Services and Advocacy provided by Firefly Children and Family Alliance. The Survivor Advocacy program is a free, voluntary, confidential program for survivors of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Advocates are available to assist and support survivors in understanding their rights, provide information on options and next steps, discuss safety and support the survivor’s decisions. Advocacy services are available at any stage of the healing process; there is no time limit on when to engage in services or for how long. They provide services to all survivors, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, or citizenship status. Bilingual advocates can work directly with survivors who speak Spanish and services are available using an interpreter for all other languages. Firefly is also Marion County’s certified Rape Crisis Center, so we provide 24/7 hospital response to the Centers of Hope at local hospitals if a sexual assault survivor comes in for a forensic exam and wants advocacy support. Survivor advocacy services include the following:

  • Phone, virtual and face-to-face advocacy: advocates can meet with individuals in our office or at a safe community location 
  • Emotional support, including support during a forensic exam at local Centers of Hope 
  • Assistance with protective orders 
  • Court advocacy & accompaniment (civil (divorce, custody, child support, etc.), protective order, criminal) 
  • Guidance through the criminal justice system 
  • Safety planning 
  • Community resource referrals 
  • Support for loved ones 
  • Secure space to discuss feelings and needs 
  • Educational and prevention programs 
  • Referrals to individual counseling 
  • Support groups 
  • And more  

If a survivor is interested in receiving advocacy services, they can reach out to Advocacy@fireflyin.org, or call 317-644-7992 to be connected to an advocate.

 

Supporting Survivors

It can be difficult to know what to say or how to best support survivors of intimate partner violence or sexual violence. Here are some ways you can support them:

Validate them. While a person wants to be listened to, they also want to know you are committed to being there for you and that you believe them. Here are some things you can say:

  • "I believe you."  
  • "I'm so sorry this happened to you." 
  • "This is not your fault." 
  • "I know that it can feel like you did something wrong, but you didn't." 
  • "I am here to listen and help you in any way I can." 
  • "You're not alone. I'm here for you and I'm glad you told me." 
  • "There are resources and supports that can help you."  
  • "No one has the right to hurt you." 

Listen to them. They may just want to tell their story without blame, sometimes they aren't even looking a response. Listen without judgment.  

Know about the resources, or where to find them. Tell them about the resources available, on and off campus. Firefly provides their services to the Marion County/Indianapolis community. 

ComMUnity of Care Resource Guide

Offer your physical presence of support. You may offer to be with them if they want to file a report, receive medical care, offer to walk with them to the Counseling and Consultation Services office for their appointment, to their support group, or any instance where your physical presence would be comforting. 

Resist violent or extreme reactions. Remain calm and collected. 

Do not make promises that you cannot keep. You only have certainty about the actions you can make, not others. 

Ask how you can help them! Only they know how you can best support them.  

Understand this is not about you. They may not want to share who the abuser or perpetrator is or certain details with you, and that is their right. 

Recognize it is their choice to decide who to tell, what to tell, and when to tell.

Make sure you care for yourself. It is wonderful that you feel that you can support your friend, but there is a limit to processing trauma, even if it is second-hand. Make sure you know of your support and how you need self-care.

Additional resources:  

Information for Faculty and Staff

As a faculty or staff member of Marian University, you are a required mandatory reporter. This means you must report any disclosure of information of sexual harassment (dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or unwelcome sexual conduct) or any information that would lead a reasonable person to believe that sexual harassment may have occurred immediately to your supervisor or the Title IX Coordinator. If you are unsure of what these crimes of sexual harassment are, please refer to Definitions

  • The only employees exempt from mandatory reporting are employees in The Student Health Center, Counseling and Consultation Services, and the University Chaplain. 
  • Student employees, including, but not limited to resident assistants, peer mentors, peer educators, peer tutors, orientation leaders, student workers, and federal work study student workers, are also all mandatory reports and should share that information immediately to their supervisor or the Title IX Coordinator.  

More information about an employee’s duty to report can be found the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities in Section 5, subsection E.  

If you feel that you a student may be about to share something that may require your mandatory reporter duties, here are some things you can say:  

  • It sounds like you might be about to share something that I might need to report to the university. I am happy to keep listening if you’d like, but also understand if you would like to finish this conversation. If not, I can connect you to some more confidential or other resources to support you. 
  • I’m grateful you feel comfortable enough to speak with me, and for the most part everything we talk about can remain between us, but some of what you’ve shared gives me reason to think I might need to share information that I am required to share as a mandatory reporter so that we can provide with you with additional support.  
  • Before you continue, I will share that I am legally mandated to report information around sexual harassment and interpersonal violence and may need to share what you say to the Title IX Coordinator. This does not mean you are trouble in any way, but it is so we can provide you with support.  
  • I would be glad to connect with some confidential resources and you can choose to engage with those resources however you feel most comfortable.  

Mandatory reporting is applicable whether the situation involves students, employees and students, or employees. 

See Title IX contacts for contact information for Title IX Coordinator.

Understand that once you share that information with Title IX, you are not entitled to any of the information after that point, including the investigation and resolution(s) unless the student(s) chooses to voluntarily share that information with you.

ComMUnity of Care can provide trainings and education with departments and offices on campus to continue to educate our community around dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trauma-informed practices. In addition, Marian has adopted a bystander intervention program, Green Dot, and we can provide a 90 minute overview to faculty and staff to show how they can be allies to changing the campus culture.

Trainings and Events

For more information

Office of Student Activities
Clare Hall, Room 127C