Michigan State University’s Prevention, Outreach and Education Department, in partnership with MSU’s Graduate School, is hosting their first Graduate Student Symposium on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Registration is closed for in-person attendance, but attendees can still register for virtual access until Tuesday, Feb. 15 through this link.

This afternoon-long event is open to all MSU graduate students and will be interactive and action-oriented workshops focused on the prevention of gender-based violence, harassment and discrimination. It will be available in-person from 2 to 6 p.m. at the MSU Union (3^rd Floor) and virtually through Zoom. After the symposium, attendees are invited to a networking event and dinner.

“We are very excited to collaborate with the graduate school and provide this symposium,” said Kelly Schweda, director of POE. “We are looking forward to gaining insight into new ways to provide prevention services to graduate students at MSU.”

According to the 2019 Know More Campus Survey key findings, graduate students experienced high victimization rates of relationship violence and sexual misconduct. Most commonly, these experiences included sexual harassment in the form of inappropriate or offensive comments.

The data collected from this survey was used to inform the work of departments like POE when building better resources and providing prevention tools to our campus community. 

“I am thankful to have the resources to host this symposium with our partners and carve out dedicated space for our graduate students at MSU,” said Sophie Walters, prevention specialist at POE. “We understand that the space they occupy in academia is often complex and can be difficult to navigate. We hope to offer this community new skills, strategies and support at the symposium.”

In addition to this event, POE hosts a series of workshops throughout the semester geared toward specific audiences. This is one of many events throughout the year that provide interactive training opportunities to educate and empower our campus community around the prevention of relationship violence and sexual misconduct.

POE, established in 2018, engages members of the university community by utilizing multi-disciplinary, community-driven, and trauma-informed approaches to educating on the prevention of gender-based violence. It is a part of MSU’s commitment to ensuring a trauma-informed culture and a safer, more secure and more supportive university.

For any questions regarding the symposium, email Sophie Walters at poe.sophiewalters@msu.edu.