April Marks 25th Anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Cary Carr, the inaugural director of civil rights at the College and the first Title IX coordinator working solely for Bryn Mawr, is a self-described "Delco kid” who became passionate about the health implications of violence against women while studying journalism and public health at Temple. 

So passionate, in fact, that she completed a master’s degree in public health at the University of Florida while becoming a mother, and then moved her family to Gainesville to complete a public health Ph.D., with a research focus on responding to and preventing violence against sex workers and other vulnerable populations. She remains a part-time online adjunct instructor with Florida. 

Carr came to Bryn Mawr last summer after serving as director of Health and Wellbeing Education at Haverford for nearly two years, following seven years providing prevention education and overseeing crisis response systems in Virginia and South Carolina. 

With the approach of April and its 25th anniversary as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Carr is working to make her office and its services more visible to students, faculty, and staff, and to educate the campus on each person’s responsibilities under College policy to report incidents of violence, harassment, and discrimination. In the coming days, posters with the headline “If You Care, Share” will be displayed around campus, outlining support resources and reporting options for those who witness or experience violence, discrimination, or harassment. 

“Anyone who is not designated as a confidential resource and witnesses or learns of incidents of discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct is required under College policy to share that information with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX,” Carr explains. “This includes behaviors like stalking, assault, indecent exposure, and retaliation. This ensures that affected individuals can receive timely and accurate information about the resources and options available to them. 

“Our goal is to promote community well-being by supporting students, faculty, and staff through all aspects of this work, from education and prevention training to reporting, investigations, and determinations,” Carr adds. Carr adds that she wants members of the College community to know that supportive measures and resources are available for those who have experienced sexual misconduct, discrimination, or harassment, regardless of whether they choose to file a complaint with the College. 

Over the coming months, Carr will recruit and train employees at the College for roles such as advisors and alternative resolution facilitators. In May, a group of employees will complete a comprehensive restorative practices training focused on facilitating an alternative resolution process for those seeking facilitated agreements under the sexual misconduct and discrimination policies.