Circumnavigators grant recipient to study sexual assault policies abroad

Shane McKeon, Assistant Campus Editor

This year’s winner of the Circumnavigators Travel-Study Grant will travel to five countries this summer to study how foreign universities respond to sexual assault on campus.

SESP junior Jonathon McBride received a $9,000 award from the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Chicago Chapter of the Circumnavigators Club for a 10-week trip.

“Increasing media attention has focused on the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses recently, but there’s a lack of discussion on how to make things better,” McBride said in a news release.

McBride will travel to universities in Brazil, Netherlands, Egypt, South Africa and Australia and study their sexual assault policies and the related resources for students.

McBride said this project grew out of work he did with the student group Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault.

“Northwestern gave me the opportunity to get involved with MARS and start wondering how other universities handle sexual assault,” McBride said in the news release. “This project is deeply important to me, and I hope that the results can be useful to MARS, the Northwestern community and all universities.”

MARS focuses on helping men understand sexual assault and educating them on how they can help prevent it.

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