In compliance with federal regulatory requirements (e.g., Violence Against Women Act, Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, and Title IX), the University of Missouri–St. Louis utilizes a number of strategies and activities to educate the campus community on how to prevent and respond to stalking, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault.
Examples of the university’s awareness and prevention initiatives include:
- New student orientation presentations
- New faculty orientation presentations
- Sexual harassment prevention training for employees
- Informational tabling events
- Social norming campaigns
- Self-defense workshops
- Multi-media educational campaigns
- Roundtable discussions
- Healthy relationships presentations
- Bystander intervention programs
- Peer education programs
Each spring semester, the University of Missouri–Saint Louis administers the Missouri College Health Behavior Survey (MCHBS) which captures important data on student perceptions and experiences, including sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence. The UMSL Partners in Prevention Coalition helps to analyze the data collected from the survey in order to strategically design programs and initiatives to combat risky behaviors and acts of violence reported by students. Additionally, MCHBS data are used to identify and promote social norming messages.