By Curtis Creekmore
PEACC, the campus program dedicated to reducing domestic violence, has lost its government funding and would be in danger of shutting down, but university officials say they will support the organization.
Six years ago, the University of Louisville received a grant to start the Prevention, Education and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community program to raise awareness and promote prevention of violence against women.
“Since 1999, PEACC has received funding from the Department of Justice to operate a campus program at U of L,” said Sharon LaRue, director of the PEACC program. “We have received three grants for a total of six years at U of L. This federal money was meant as seed money to give the university the necessary funding and technical support needed to establish a full-time violence against women advocate on their campus.”
Now the six years have passed, and the university will have to find a way to fund the program for it to stay in existence.
“In the last funding cycle, PEACC did not receive federal funding. This was an expected outcome given that the federal funds were meant to start a program, not to sustain a program,” LaRue said.
Although no one has decided where the money will come from, Provost Shirley Willihnganz has guaranteed PEACC will get its funding from the university.
“Please know that PEACC serves an important and vital function in
the university, and we will find the funds needed to make sure it continues,” she said.
The program, part of the university’s Women’s Center, plays a fundamental role in violence education and the protection of women, according to the “Campus Survey Report: Safety Perception and Experiences of Violence” by U of L professors Linda Bledsoe and Bibhuti Sar. The report states that the PEACC program began as a project, offering programming for students, faculty and staff about violence against women.
The project had four main goals. It was meant to increase public awareness, improve training for professionals, coordinate efforts in advocacy for victims and review related university policies and procedures. The results of testing given to the volunteer students, faculty and staff showed an overwhelming amount of women had experienced abuse or violence in their lives.
Student Government Association President Bill Brammell has faith that the university will support the program.
“Currently, we are waiting to see what the plan is for the PEACC program for next year,” he said. “The program is extremely valuable to the university, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will be funded to continue the important work which it does for our campus. As far as details, funding, etc., more should unfold in the coming month as the budget process continues to move forward.”
