It's On CWRU

It's on CWRU

It's On CWRU: To Disrupt the Culture of Violence

It's On CWRU serves as the violence-prevention entity on CWRU’s campus that provides a variety of services, data, and support. All of the violence-prevention initiatives coming out of the Mather Center will fall under Its On CWRU’s umbrella. 

The Flora Stone Mather Center for Women provides violence prevention education programs to the CWRU community through a coordinated university effort called It’s On CWRU. The mission of It’s On CWRU is to unify our community’s effort to disrupt the culture of violence. Through evidence-informed education, consciousness raising visuals, survivor support, and community investment, the campaign aims to initiate and support ongoing societal shifts that foster a safe environment for all people.

It's On CWRU is led by the Education Coordinator and Director, with the assistance of Peer Educators. Additionally, student volunteers (known as the Street CWRU) also contribute to the violence prevention efforts of the campus. 
 

 

Take the It's On CWRU Pledge

Take the pledge to disrupt the culture of violence on campus. 

Resources Available at CWRU

It you or someone you know has been impacted by power-based personal violence (PBPV), there are resources at CWRU that can help. 

It's On CWRU Workshops

Its On CWRU offers regular and specialty workshops for students, staff, faculty, and the CWRU community. Individuals can join one of our regularly scheduled workshops that occur monthly, or request a specific workshop or topic by submitting a request here

If you would like to see our upcoming workshops visit our CampusGroups page

*PBPV - Power-based personal violence

Currently, Its On CWRU provides the following standing workshops:

  • Bystander Intervention: This workshop focuses on empowering individuals to be active bystanders in the face of potential or actual PBPV. Participants in this workshop will learn strategies to employ when intervening in situations and learn about the resources available to them if they are (or know someone who is) impacted by PBPV. 
  • Consent: This workshop digs deeper into the world of consent and empowers individuals to use their voice, set boundaries, and practice consent in all areas of their lives. Participants will learn strategies to provide consent and learn more about resources available to them if PBPV does occur. 
  • Healthy Relationships: This workshop aims to empower participants to learn more about what healthy relationships are, how to identify concerns in relationships, how to intervene if concerns do arise, and how to practice communication to maintain healthy relationships with everyone. 
  • Custom Presentations & Workshops: Does your organization or class have a special topic you would like to learn more about? Perhaps you would like to dive deeper into the topics we already present regularly? Then you can request a custom workshop! Your group can work with It's On CWRU and the FSMCW’s Education Coordinator to design a workshop to fit your needs. 

Peer Educators

The Peer Educator (PE) Program serves as the lead student involvement for the Its On CWRU initiatives housed within the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women. Peer Educators are responsible for activating the student population in efforts to reduce violence and educate the community around healthy relationships, consent, and being empowered bystanders. 


Peer Educators are hired and serve on an academic-year basis. Each semester Peer Educators are responsible for completing a variety of training, onboarding, and programs to earn their stipend.

Learn more about the Peer Educator position here. Interested, but still not sure if you'd like to apply? Watch a recorded information session about the Peer Educator position here. 

Applications for the Spring 2022 semester are open now on handshake and will close on February 4th, 2022.  

Programs and Events 

In addition to our workshops and events, It's On CWRU hosts several other specialty programs during the year. These may include speakers, additional workshops, training, or other ways to be involved in the community. 

  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month: April is SAAM and It's On CWRU aims to Turn Campus Teal in honor of the survivors of PBPV. During the month It's On CWRU hosts several events in collaboration with campus partners, including the Clothesline Project, to raise awareness of PBPV and provide support to survivors and those impacted by violence. Take a look at the full calendar of events for the month here!
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month: October marks DVAM and the It's On CWRU team puts on several events throughout the month to raise awareness about power-based personal violence, provide resources to those impacted by violence, and promote a culture shift to eradicate violence in our communities. Check-in to see more details about the specific events and activities you can participate in
  • Informed-U is a peer-led sexual violence prevention education program that empowers students to build healthier, safer, and more productive campus communities. This programming is mandatory for all of Case Western Reserve University’s first-year and transfer students. Multiple sessions are offered throughout Discover Week at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters to ensure all students are able to attend. Orientation Leaders, who serve as student representatives of Discover Week programming, are trained by the Informed-U Leadership Team to deliver discussion-based, small-group learning sessions to their peers. The social, interactive, and personalized nature of the experience supports perspective expansion, deeper understanding of sexual violence, and tangible strategies to effect change on campus.
  • The Silent Witness Project: The Mather Center for Women hosts the Northeast Ohio Silent Witness Project exhibit for Domestic Violence Awareness Month every October. In 1990, an ad hoc group of women artists and writers, upset about the growing number of women in Minnesota being murdered by their partners or acquaintances, joined together with several other women's organizations to form Arts Action Against Domestic Violence. These compassionate women felt an urgency to do something that would speak out against the escalating domestic violence in their state. They set out to create something that would commemorate the lives of the 26 women whose lives had been lost in 1990 as a result of domestic violence. After much brainstorming, the women began to design 26 free-standing, life-sized red wooden figures, each one bearing the name of a woman who once lived, worked, had neighbors, friends, family, children--whose life ended violently at the hands of a husband, ex-husband, partner, or acquaintance. A twenty-seventh figure was added to represent those uncounted women whose murders went unsolved or were erroneously ruled accidental. The organizers called the figures the Silent Witnesses (the original 27 witnesses).

Initiatives 


The Mather Center and It's On CWRU take pride in being up-to-date in current practices and research to inform the work that we do. We have several initiatives currently underway and will continue to add more information as we develop more!

  • The Culture of Respect Collective: As part of NASPA (one of the leading organizations for higher education institutions) CWRU joined The Culture of Respect Collective which aims to provide institutions with the resources, tools, and support they need to improve their campus responses to PBPV. You can learn more here!
  • PACCT Committee: The PACCT committee is our Prevention Advocacy Compliance Clery Team that is committed to providing ongoing updates, resources, and support to all CWRU community members impacted by Power Based Personal Violence (Sexual Assault, Stalking, Domestic Violence and Harrassment). This committee is composed of key stakeholders from across the campus that represent various offices such as Title IX, Athletics, Greek Life, and Res Life. The PACCT committee is currently carrying out the goals of the Collective. 

Community Outreach


It's On CWRU wants to get to know you and your organization! We regularly work with our campus partners to host events, share resources and information, and celebrate those taking steps to prevent violence in our community. 

Some of the outreach It's On CWRU does already includes:

  • Street CWRU: Our Street CWRU is made up of community volunteers who are excited to reduce PBPV in our community. As a member of the Street CWRU, you can volunteer for events, spread awareness, and take on leadership roles in the community to stop violence. 
  • Bathroom & Campus Posters: It's On CWRU provides materials to be posted all over campus and in campus bathrooms with information about how to access resources if you or someone you know is impacted by PBPV. It's On CWRU is happy to collaborate with you or your organization to create posters, social media posts, or other marketing materials to encourage folks to reach out if they need support and to develop a culture of eliminating PBPV on campus. 
  • Tabling: It's On CWRU actively tables in the student center and other areas on campus to educate the community about the Flora Stone Center for Women and the services the center offers. Additionally, tabling serves as an opportunity for community members to learn more about It's On CWRU and how to get involved!

Resources 

It's On CWRU partners with several on campus and off campus organizations to provide education, support, and engagement opportunities for anyone interested in (or impacted by) PBPV. For more information about all available resources check out our Resources Page here.

Domestic Violence Awareness Resource - This domestic violence awareness resource was created by Varsha Krishnan (CWRU Class of '23), the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship's Intern for 2020-2021. Varsha received guidance from Ben Gorhman and Charlie Harper from the Freedman Center, and from Dr. Angela Clark-Taylor and Anastasia Martinez from the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.

Get Involved!

Interested in learning more about It's On CWRU? Would you or your organization like to partner with It's On CWRU to make meaningful change in our community? Email  for more involvement opportunities!

  • Join our Street CWRU
  • Apply to be a Peer Educator
  • Volunteer for one of our events
  • Attend our events and workshops
  • Take the Its On CWRU Pledge

How Faculty/Staff Can Get Involved

  • Download the PACCT Guidebook

  • Tips for helping a Student in Crisis

  • Download the It’s on CWRU Toolkit and incorporate It’s on CWRU into your courses.

  • Register for an Active Bystander Workshop

  • Schedule a Active Bystander Workshop or your class

  • Join the Collective - the Collective is an ambitious two-year program that brings together institutions of higher education who are dedicated to ending campus sexual violence and guides them through a rigorous process of self-assessment and targeted organizational change. If you are interested in joining, please email Alicia Robinson at amr319@case.edu