First Friday Leadership Talk to highlight work of CWU Safe

CWU faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the initial First Friday Leadership Talk of the 2023-24 academic year from 11 a.m. to noon October 6 in Shaw-Smyser 115.

The talk, titled “Helping CWU to Become a Model of Safety: What Employees Can Do to Lead Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Efforts,” will feature the co-chairs of the CWU Safe Work Group, Marissa Howat and Cynthia Coe, and staff liaison Andrew Morse.

To register for the First Friday event, go to MyCWU under the "Learning" tab and enter "First Friday" in the search field. If you have questions, email cla@cwu.edu.

Marissa, Cynthia, and Andrew will be sharing the work CWU Safe has done since it was formed last winter in an effort to elevate the university’s equity-minded and trauma-informed approach to the prevention and response to incidents of gender-based violence.

The university-wide coalition has been leading the university-wide efforts to review best practices related to the prevention and handling of gender-based violence, and develop recommendations for CWU based on expert presentations, stakeholder consultation, and community feedback.

The final recommendations, which were approved by the Executive Leadership Team over the summer, include opportunities for all CWU employees to exhibit leadership in preventing harm from occurring in the classroom and workplace.

Through trauma-informed training, university employees will lead efforts to improve how we respond to those who have experienced harm. Learn more about the recommendations, what the shifting legal landscape requires, and how you can influence employees, colleagues, and students to further build a culture of respect and safety at CWU.

CWU is committed to creating a culture that supports the physical and psychological safety of everyone in the community. During the month of October, CWU Prevention, Advocacy, Training, and Healing (PATH) is providing education about domestic violence, healthy relationships, and how to support survivors. More information is available on Instagram at @cwu_path. 

More information about the CWU Safe Work Group, including their final recommendations, can be found on the Office of the President webpage.