For college student survivors of sexual violence, holding harm-doers accountable and finding other sources of support are difficult and confusing processes. Many survivors wind up navigating them alone and unaware of their rights. Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Act are two federal laws that require schools to protect survivors of sexual violence, as well and provide them with support and resources to heal. However, these laws are difficult to understand and universities don’t always follow them. This means many survivors—and especially survivors of who are people of color and/or LGTBQ—don’t seek help, which can cause life-long psychological and emotional damage.

To help student survivors and their allies understand their rights on campus, CUP teamed up with Black Women’s Blueprint and designers Flora Chan and Abby Chen to create It’s Not Just Personal. Created for and with students of color and LGBTQ students, the brightly illustrated guide is designed to fill a gap in engaging and culturally relevant information for student survivors and their allies. Clear text and illustrations break down how Title IX and the Clery Act work, from the rights survivors have when it comes to reporting sexual violence, to information on how to file a complaint if a school is breaking the law. The guide folds out into a colorful poster that shows a variety of actions students can take to hold their colleges accountable to the needs of survivors.

Get your copy of the poster here.

Resources & Links

Black Women’s Blueprint is a national black feminist organization committed to ending the systemic forms of oppression that keep equity just out of reach. Black Women’s Blueprint dedicates itself to creating and facilitating spaces of learning, empathy, and support amongst college students as a vehicle for arresting, reversing, and ending rape culture ideologies on campuses and in the larger community.

Flora Chan and Abby Chen are NYC-based designers who just happen to really enjoy making things together. 

Making Policy Public is a program of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP). CUP partners with policy advocates and graphic designers to produce foldout posters that explain complicated policy issues, like this one.

Funding Support

Support for this project was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Aairs in partnership with the City Council.

General support for CUP’s programs is provided in part by the David Rockefeller Fund, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, New York Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Special Thanks

Farah Tannis, Fayola Nyack, Frederica Stines, Kaitlyn Newman, Sevonna Brown, Alexis P., Shamecca Harris, Rachel Simmons, Joyann Kershaw, Brittany Beckford, Alliyah Ramsay, Daniella Brown, Brianna Reid, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Christine Gaspar, Oscar Nuñez, Frampton Tolbert, Shristi Shrestha, Mark Torrey, Jazlyn Patricio-Archer, Jenn Anne Williams

Participants

  • CUP
  • Ingrid Haftel
  • Deja Holden
  • Black Women’s Blueprint
    Advocacy Partner
  • Ericka Dixon
  • Sherine Andreine Powerful
  • Designers
  • Flora Chan
  • Abby Chen