UM Offers New Sexual Assault Response, Prevention Certificate Program

Beginning next week the University of Montana and the Rocky Mountain Justice Institute will offer a five-day course aimed at providing an overview of the issues surrounding sexual assault.

This innovative certificate program, which currently does not exist anywhere else in the nation, will be held Monday through Friday, Aug. 15-19, on the UM campus. It aims to change the sexual assault dialogue.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, sexual violence is a significant public health problem in the United States. In order to stop it from occurring, the CDC recommends comprehensive prevention strategies addressing factors at each of the levels that influence sexual violence: individual, relationship, community and society.

The goal is to provide expert education on how to prevent sexual violence and how to respond as a member of a law enforcement, justice or education community.