EMPOWER Program

In 2016, GCU was awarded a federal grant from the U.S Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which allows the university to partner with Providence House of Catholic Charities to expand education, programs and resources related to sexual assault, domestic or dating violence, and stalking on campus. Additionally, with the support of Empower, Georgian Court University and the Lakewood Police Department have established a working relationship to expand training and resources related to reporting and responding effectively.

• GCU Definition: Nonconsensual Sexual Contact: Any intentional sexual touching, however slight and with any object or body part, that is without consent (as defined in this policy) and/or by threat, intimidation, coercion, duress, violence, or by causing a reasonable fear of harm. This includes intentional contact with breasts, buttocks, groin, mouth, or genitals, as well as any other intentional bodily contact that occurs in a sexual manner. Nonconsensual Sexual Intercourse: Any sexual penetration or copulation, however slight and with any object or body part that is without consent and/or by force or coercion. Intercourse includes anal or vaginal penetration by a penis, object, tongue, or finger, and oral copulation (mouth and genital/anal contact), no matter how slight the penetration or contact.
• State Definition: N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2. Sexual Assault a. An actor is guilty of aggravated sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual penetration with another person under any one of the following circumstances: (1) The victim is less than 13 years old; (2) The victim is at least 13 but less than 16 years old; and (a) The actor is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree, or (b) The actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the actor’s legal, professional, or occupational status, or (c) The actor is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household; (3) The act is committed during the commission, or attempted commission, whether alone or with one or more other persons, of robbery, kidnapping, homicide, aggravated assault on another, burglary, arson, or criminal escape; (4) The actor is armed with a weapon or any object fashioned in such a manner as to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a weapon and threatens by word or gesture to use the weapon or object; (5) The actor is aided or abetted by one or more other persons and the actor uses physical force or coercion; (6) The actor uses physical force or coercion and severe personal injury is sustained by the victim; (7) The victim is one whom the actor knew or should have known was physically helpless, mentally defective, or mentally incapacitated. Aggravated sexual assault is a crime of the first degree. b. An actor is guilty of sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual contact with a victim who is less than 13 years old and the actor is at least four years older than the victim. 32 | Georgian Court University c. An actor is guilty of sexual assault if he commits an act of sexual penetration with another person under any one of the following circumstances: (1) The actor uses physical force or coercion, but the victim does not sustain severe personal injury; (2) The victim is on probation or parole, or is detained in a hospital, prison or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the actor’s legal, professional, or occupational status; (3) The victim is at least 16 but less than 18 years old and: (a) The actor is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree; or (b) The actor has supervisory or disciplinary power of any nature or in any capacity over the victim; or (c) The actor is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household; (4) The victim is at least 13 but less than 16 years old and the actor is at least four years older than the victim. Sexual assault is a crime of the second degree.

• GCU Definition: Dating violence means violence by a person who has been in a romantic or intimate relationship with the victim. Whether there was such relationship will be gauged by its length, type, and frequency of interaction.
• GCU Definition: The term domestic violence includes felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction
• State Definition: Domestic violence means the occurrence of one or more of the following acts inflicted upon a person protected under this act by an adult or an emancipated minor:
  • Homicide N.J.S. 2C:11-1 et seq.
  • Assault N.J.S. 2C:12-1
  • Terroristic threats N.J.S. 2C:12-3
  • Kidnapping N.J.S. 2C:13-1
  • Criminal restraint N.J.S. 2C:13-2
  • False imprisonment N.J.S. 2C:13-3
  • Sexual assault N.J.S. 2C:14-2
  • Criminal sexual contact N.J.S. 2C:14-3
  • Lewdness N.J.S. 2C:14-4
  • Criminal mischief N.J.S. 2C:17-3
  • Burglary N.J.S. 2C:18-2
  • Criminal trespass N.J.S. 2C:18-3
  • Harassment N.J.S. 2C:33-4
  • Stalking P.L.1992, c.209 (C.2C:12-10)
  • When one or more of these acts is inflicted by an unemancipated minor upon a person protected under this act, the occurrence shall not constitute domestic violence, but may be the basis for the filing of a petition or complaint pursuant to the provisions of section 11 of P.L.1982, c.77 (C.2A:4A-30)

• GCU Definition: Stalking is defined as engaging in a course of conduct (e.g., repeatedly following, harassing, threatening, or intimidating another by telephone; mail; electronic communication; social media; or any other action, device, or method) directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to (a) fear for his or her safety or the safety of others; or (b) suffer other emotional distress
• State Definition: C.2C:12-10. Definitions; stalking designated a crime; degrees, in New Jersey.
• As used in this act:
• a. As used in this act:
• (1) Course of conduct means repeatedly maintaining a visual or physical proximity to
• a person; directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or
• means, following, monitoring, observing, surveilling, threatening, or communicating
• to or about a person, or interfering with a person’s property; repeatedly committing
• harassment against a person; or repeatedly conveying, or causing to be conveyed, verbal
• or written threats or threats conveyed by any other means of communication or threats
• implied by conduct or a combination thereof directed at or toward a person.
• (2) Repeatedly means on two or more occasions.
• (3) Emotional distress means significant mental suffering or distress.
• (4) Cause a reasonable person to fear means to cause fear which a reasonable victim,
• similarly situated, would have under the circumstances.
• A person is guilty of stalking, a crime of the fourth degree, if he purposefully or knowingly
• engages in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable
• person to fear for his safety or the safety of a third person or suffer other emotional distress.
• A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he commits the crime of stalking in
• violation of an existing court order prohibiting the behavior.
• A person who commits a second or subsequent offense of stalking against the same victim
• is guilty of a crime of the third degree.
• A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he commits the crime of stalking while
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• serving a term of imprisonment or while on parole or probation as the result of a conviction
• for any indictable offense under the laws of this state, any other state, or the United States.
• This act shall not apply to conduct that occurs during organized group picketing

• Consent: NJSA 2C:2-10. Consent 1. In general. The consent of the victim to conduct charged to constitute an offense or to the result thereof is a defense if such consent negates an element of the offense or precludes the infliction of the harm or evil sought to be prevented by the law defining the offense. 2. Consent to bodily harm. When conduct is charged to constitute an offense because it causes or threatens bodily harm, consent to such conduct or to the infliction of such harm is a defense if: (a) The bodily harm consented to or threatened by the conduct consented to is not serious; or (b) The conduct and the harm are reasonably foreseeable hazards of joint participation in a concerted activity of a kind not forbidden by law; or (c) The consent establishes a justification for the conduct under Chapter 3 of the code. 3. Ineffective consent. Unless otherwise provided by the code or by the law defining the offense, assent does not constitute consent if: (a) It is given by a person who is legally incompetent to authorize the conduct charged to constitute the offense; or (b) It is given by a person who by reason of youth, mental disease or defect, or intoxication is manifestly unable or known by the actor to be unable to make a reasonable judgment as to the nature of harmfulness of the conduct charged to constitute an offense; or (c) It is induced by force, duress, or deception of a kind sought to be prevented by the law defining the offense. Thus, according to New Jersey law, age, physical impairment, and mental impairment all contribute to a person’s ability to give consent. A person must be 16 years of age to legally consent to sexual activity. A person cannot give consent to sexual activity with someone who has “the duty to care” for them unless they are over the age of 18. Individuals who fall into “the duty to care” category would include parents or guardians, and those in any type of formal supervisory role. If individuals are between the ages of 13 and 15, they can legally consent to 36. Georgian Court University sexual activity with a partner who is not more than four years older than themselves. An individual who is physically or mentally impaired, generally cannot give consent to sexual activity in the state of New Jersey. Physical or mental impairment includes a person with a visual, speech, or hearing impairment, a person with a cognitive impairment; a person who is unconscious or sleeping; or a person who is voluntarily or involuntarily under the influence of alcohol or other substance(s).

GCU Sexual Misconduct Policy

OVW Strategic Plan

Not Anymore Instructions

• Mission Statement of CCRT:
  The Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT) is a collaborative team of campus and community partners that engage the Georgian Court University community in preventing, responding, and advocating against sexual assault and relationship violence while promoting social change.
• CCRT Prevention Statement:
  This team differs from other multidisciplinary teams in that we strive for solution-focused education and victim-centered approaches where survivors are believed and supported.
• Core CCRT- Meets monthly:
  Simpdy Merelan, OVW Program Specialist (Prevention Track)
  Michael Kovac, Providence House Campus Case Manager (Prevention Track)
  Stephanie Mahone, Lakewood PD (Law Enforcement Track)
  Charles Tighe, Director of Campus Safety (Law Enforcement Track)
  Erin McCarron, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Life (Conduct Track)
  Seth Richards, Director of Residence Life (Conduct Track)
• Large CCRT – Meets monthly:
  In addition to the offices above, representation from the following offices meet at the Large CCRT meetings: Campus Safety, Lakewood Police Department, Human Resources, Student Life, Residence Life, Athletics, Counseling Center, Health Services, as well as student and faculty members.