EDUCATION about and PREVENTION against gender and relationship violence
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The Midwest Campus Safety Summit
A conference on preventing and responding to gender-based violence on college campuses.
About the Conference
The Midwest Campus Safety Summit is a regional and affordable conference for college and university administrators, faculty, staff, and students interested in improving their campus efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. The 2024 Midwest Campus Safety Summit is scheduled for October 2-3 at Husch Blackwell in Chicago, IL.
The Summit is designed for key college personnel from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Those invited include: Title IX coordinators, college/university legal representatives, campus and public safety officers, residential life and student affairs personnel, athletic directors, women’s center staff, student leaders, health and counseling professionals, and other campus and community representatives interested in campus safety.
Thanks to corporate and foundation sponsors and partnerships, we are able to keep Midwest Campus Safety Summit registration fees extremely affordable. Our rationale is to encourage campuses to send multi-disciplinary teams to attend, increasing the impact of the Summit on every campus represented. We are committed to hosting a wide range of regional campus safety representatives at every Summit while maintaining the highest quality conference of its kind.
The Midwest Campus Safety Summit is the result of a collaborative relationship between Jana’s Campaign, Inc. and Husch Blackwell. Utilizing their expertise and knowledge of the field these partners provide conference coordination and facilitation for the Summit. Other colleges, universities and gender-based advocacy groups are participating as supporters and collaborators for this project.
The Summit is designed for key college personnel from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Those invited include: Title IX coordinators, college/university legal representatives, campus and public safety officers, residential life and student affairs personnel, athletic directors, women’s center staff, student leaders, health and counseling professionals, and other campus and community representatives interested in campus safety.
Thanks to corporate and foundation sponsors and partnerships, we are able to keep Midwest Campus Safety Summit registration fees extremely affordable. Our rationale is to encourage campuses to send multi-disciplinary teams to attend, increasing the impact of the Summit on every campus represented. We are committed to hosting a wide range of regional campus safety representatives at every Summit while maintaining the highest quality conference of its kind.
The Midwest Campus Safety Summit is the result of a collaborative relationship between Jana’s Campaign, Inc. and Husch Blackwell. Utilizing their expertise and knowledge of the field these partners provide conference coordination and facilitation for the Summit. Other colleges, universities and gender-based advocacy groups are participating as supporters and collaborators for this project.
2024 Conference Information
SPEAKERS, PROGRAM INFORMATION, AND PRESENTATIONS
Melissa Williams is a two-time Emmy-winning journalist and documentarian who made the switch to public relations and communication after a 21-year television career.
Starting as a video editor, Melissa’s leadership, ethics, and passion for fact-based and impactful reporting led her to manage newsrooms in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Kansas City, Missouri, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Having held many positions, from anchoring to producing to achieving her dream of becoming a news director, she has been involved in covering many national and international headlines. Her work covering topics such as border security, immigration, and social justice issues resulted in several Emmy nominations and two wins for newscast and documentary production.
Her news experience transferred seamlessly into a new career when she was recruited by Tyson Foods to join its public relations team. Working with top-tier reporters, she understands the training and expertise necessary to navigate the news cycle. She’s prepared executives for interviews with Bloomberg, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal through media training and has led crisis communications during pivotal events. Now based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Melissa continues her successful communications career at ABB, a global technology leader focused on electrification and automation.
Starting as a video editor, Melissa’s leadership, ethics, and passion for fact-based and impactful reporting led her to manage newsrooms in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Kansas City, Missouri, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Having held many positions, from anchoring to producing to achieving her dream of becoming a news director, she has been involved in covering many national and international headlines. Her work covering topics such as border security, immigration, and social justice issues resulted in several Emmy nominations and two wins for newscast and documentary production.
Her news experience transferred seamlessly into a new career when she was recruited by Tyson Foods to join its public relations team. Working with top-tier reporters, she understands the training and expertise necessary to navigate the news cycle. She’s prepared executives for interviews with Bloomberg, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal through media training and has led crisis communications during pivotal events. Now based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Melissa continues her successful communications career at ABB, a global technology leader focused on electrification and automation.
Kendra Eggleston (M.A.) is the Training & Campus Specialist for the Stalking, Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC). In her role, Kendra specializes in working with colleges and universities to develop effective campus stalking resources. Kendra designs and delivers dynamic trainings to equip students, staff, and faculty with tools to recognize and respond to the unique dynamics of campus stalking and advocate for victims and survivors on campuses.
Kendra has a longstanding passion for advocacy in higher education. Prior to joining the SPARC team, Kendra served as Assistant Director of Student Advocacy Services at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), overseeing the Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention (RVSP) Program. In this position, Kendra developed educational trainings and programmed campus outreach events around sexual and relationship violence prevention and victim/survivor support for the UTA campus and Tarrant County community. She also had the privilege of mentoring a team of Peer Educators, college students who were leading the movement to end campus gender-based violence and advocating for their peers who identify as victims and/or survivors. Additionally, she supported other programs under Student Advocacy Services, including the LGBTQ+ program, the Maverick Food Pantry, and the Emergency Assistance Program, as well as served on the Behavior Intervention Team. Before UTA, Kendra worked at Hill College as the Perkins Grant Coordinator, supporting historically underserved community college students pursuing career and technical education degrees. Kendra also served as the Academic Coordinator at College Living Experience in Austin, Texas, where she provided academic advocacy and independent living support for college students on the autism spectrum.
Kendra received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University, with a goal of enhancing her knowledge and skills to create significant and lasting change in the movement to end gender-based violence. Kendra is based in Arlington, Texas.
Kendra has a longstanding passion for advocacy in higher education. Prior to joining the SPARC team, Kendra served as Assistant Director of Student Advocacy Services at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), overseeing the Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention (RVSP) Program. In this position, Kendra developed educational trainings and programmed campus outreach events around sexual and relationship violence prevention and victim/survivor support for the UTA campus and Tarrant County community. She also had the privilege of mentoring a team of Peer Educators, college students who were leading the movement to end campus gender-based violence and advocating for their peers who identify as victims and/or survivors. Additionally, she supported other programs under Student Advocacy Services, including the LGBTQ+ program, the Maverick Food Pantry, and the Emergency Assistance Program, as well as served on the Behavior Intervention Team. Before UTA, Kendra worked at Hill College as the Perkins Grant Coordinator, supporting historically underserved community college students pursuing career and technical education degrees. Kendra also served as the Academic Coordinator at College Living Experience in Austin, Texas, where she provided academic advocacy and independent living support for college students on the autism spectrum.
Kendra received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University, with a goal of enhancing her knowledge and skills to create significant and lasting change in the movement to end gender-based violence. Kendra is based in Arlington, Texas.
View Midwest Campus Safety Summit Program here.
More information coming soon.
Registration, hotels, and location
Registration is closed.
The Midwest Campus Safety Summit will take place in downtown Chicago, IL located at 120 S Riverside Plaza STE 2200, Chicago, IL 60606.
Hotel Information:
La Quinta Inn Downtown - 1 S Franklin Street, Chicago, IL - 312-558-1020
Hyatt Place Chicago|Downtown|The Loop - 28 N Franklin Street, Chicago, IL - 312-955-0950
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago|Magnificant Mile - 10 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL - 312-595-0000
Palmer House - A Hilton Hotel - 17 E Monroe Street, Chicago, IL - 312-726-7500
Congress Plaza Hotel - 520 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL - 312-427-3800
Hotel Information:
La Quinta Inn Downtown - 1 S Franklin Street, Chicago, IL - 312-558-1020
Hyatt Place Chicago|Downtown|The Loop - 28 N Franklin Street, Chicago, IL - 312-955-0950
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago|Magnificant Mile - 10 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL - 312-595-0000
Palmer House - A Hilton Hotel - 17 E Monroe Street, Chicago, IL - 312-726-7500
Congress Plaza Hotel - 520 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL - 312-427-3800
The Midwest Campus Safety Summit will take place in downtown Chicago, IL located at 120 S Riverside Plaza STE 2200, Chicago, IL 60606.
sponsors/exhibitors
If you are interested in sponsoring this Summit or reserving an exhibitor booth please view our opportunities here.
Proposed Summit Topics
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Summit Objectives
Campus leaders will be encouraged to develop a team of key campus stakeholders to create a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence at their institutions. Furthermore, promoting a focused and coherent system of support that encourages respectful, non-violent relationships will also be addressed. The summit’s ultimate goal is to transform area colleges and universities to:
- Prevent abusive behaviors by engaging faculty, staff, and students in promoting healthy relationships;
- Ensure that the institution is prepared to respond promptly and effectively to incidents and reports of violence when they do occur; and
- Ultimately to change campus norms so that campus members hold themselves and each other to respectful and non-violent standards of interpersonal behavior.
The conceptual framework for this educational summit was developed with the assistance of the report Beyond Title IX: Guidelines for Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education.
This document was developed by Futures Without Violence and the Avon Foundation for Women.
This document was developed by Futures Without Violence and the Avon Foundation for Women.
2023 Summit Feedback
I thought this conference was very beneficial and gave me a lot to think about and bring back to my campus. I want to come back next year! Because I have now attended 3 times, I would be interested in pitching a presentation idea for next year. There was a very collegial atmosphere that made connecting with people easy. |
We are reviewing our code of conduct and revamping our Title IX responsibilities among staff, this conference gave me great ideas for this realignment. As a result of the Summit, we definitely will focus more on incorporating information about what healthy relationships look like into our training, as well as bystander intervention material to empower students to be the change. |
Regional Summits
Based off of a highly successful model, the Midwest Campus Safety Summit is one of four regional summits. Other Campus Safety Summits include: The Rocky Mountain Campus Safety Summit (Denver, CO), the Heartland Campus Safety Summit (Overland Park, KS), and the Gulf Coast Campus Safety Summit (Houston, TX). Together, these summits have attracted hundreds of participants from dozens of states across the United States.
Exhibitor Space
If you are interested in sponsoring this Summit or reserving an exhibitor booth please view our opportunities here.