Office of Interpersonal Violence Prevention (IVPP)

Mission Statement

The role of the Office of Interpersonal Violence Prevention (IVPP) at Howard University is to enhance the quality of life of students at Howard University by providing on-campus, survivor advocacy, crisis management, and campus-wide training, education, and opportunities for interpersonal skill development in the effort to reduce/eliminate the campus and life impacts of dating, domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault and harassment and stalking. 

The Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program (IVPP) was established in 2008 by Dr. Tricia Bent-Goodley, mental health clinician, researcher, and Professor Emeritus of the Howard University School of Social Work, with financial support from the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women.

In 2016, IVPP became the Office of Interpersonal Violence Prevention, a sustained unit within the University infrastructure. In 2020, shortly after the onset of COVID-19, IVPP transitioned from the Office of the Provost to the Division of Student Affairs to better align student support services that ensure students with experiences of interpersonal violence, have the support they need to find healing and continue matriculation until graduation.

A Trauma-Informed Approach

The use of a trauma-informed approach is critical to being able to support victims/survivors. A trauma-informed approach means that students can expect that the approach of service providers is guided by an understanding of how trauma impacts behaviors and awareness of victimization. Our trauma-informed approach takes this factor into account by providing training to our campus and community partners on what it means to utilize a trauma-informed approach and to consistently monitor how we provide these services to victims/survivors.

Community Engagement; Building Healthy Relationship Approaches

New Student Orientation – IVPP conducts initial training for all new students and faculty at the beginning of each semester. This training serves as an introduction to the program, its services, and its training offerings.

Bystander Intervention Training – Bystander Intervention Training provides an environment practice recognizing, strategizing, and interrupting harmful training that occurs bi-annually and supports community members' ability to act against attitudes or behaviors that support violence, provide help when they see behavior that puts others at risk, and take steps to safely and effectively intervene when possible.

** The Next 2-Day Bystander Intervention Training will be held o Mon. February 26th & Wednesday February 28, 2024, from 5:30 PM -7 PM. Register here or on Engage.

Developing Healthy Relationship Skills - IVPP generates ongoing opportunities for students to learn and have conversations about communication, intimacy & sexual health, personal agency and body autonomy, and more. 

HU Stands

Launched in 2018, HU Stands is a social and health awareness and action campaign designed to Raise Awareness, Provoke Advocacy, and Take Action against sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence on our campus. Join us in this commitment to foster and maintain an academic and work environment that is free of sexual assault by keeping abreast of campus violence prevention initiatives and taking the HU Stands pledge.

The Clothesline Project at Howard University

Internationally, The Clothesline Project serves as a visual installation to commemorate the effects of violence against women and survivors of interpersonal violence. Participants in the project design and decorate a T-shirt to acknowledge the violence experienced by themselves or a loved one. New shirts join the display a few days after they are dried/completed. The Howard project began in 2014 and currently has over 60 shirts. Howard hosts the program in October and April of each academic year. (The Clothesline Project, 2022)

Denim Day HU

As the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses, and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence. Learn more here.

Volunteer With Us

Support campus efforts to create a campus free of sexual assault. Complete our volunteer form to receive more information regarding opportunities to support IVPP programs and initiatives. Students seeking to volunteer can submit their contact information here.

Volunteer With our Colleagues and Partners

The University Counseling Service is a frequent programming collaborator with IVPP. UCS is seeking student volunteers to support programs and campus mental health initiatives. Students with an interest in community mental health programming can sign up to support UCS campus outreach through this hyperlink.