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Last updated on March 25, 2008

The primary purpose of MSU Safe Place is to ensure the personal safety, welfare and dignity of those who experience domestic violence within the MSU community.

Description:
MSU Safe Place (MSUSP) is a program at Michigan State University that provides the following services to those victimized by, or those interested in learning about, relationship (or domestic) violence:

Shelter: 30-day, 12-bed facility for survivors and minor aged children.

Support services: Counseling, support groups, transportation, childcare and support to friends and family members of those experiencing abuse.

Advocacy: This can include making connections with community resources, court accompaniment, safety planning, and meeting with various representatives who work with a survivor to make sure their needs (legal, housing, financial, emotional, etc.) are being met.

Community education: Offered to classes, Residence Halls, and any groups on campus (student, staff, faculty, retirees and alumni groups) or in the greater East Lansing area to teach about resources and dynamics of abuse.

Scholarships: Available to individuals whose educational efforts were disrupted or terminated due to domestic violence, and now they are able to continue their education at MSU.

Volunteer opportunities: Training provided for volunteers to do childcare, community education, crisis intervention and other areas. Independent studies and internships are also available.

All services are free and confidential. The priority for receiving services is for those campus-affiliated (students, staff, faculty, or partners of those affiliated), but services are provided to non-MSU affiliated when staffing and shelter beds make this possible. MSU Safe Place is the only shelter program associated with a university in the country.

History:
The development of a MSU program addressing the issue of relationship violence came about from the efforts of MSU First Lady, Mrs. Joanne McPherson (Peter McPherson was the MSU President from 1993-2004). Mrs. McPherson organized community meetings in the spring of 1994 to assess if there was a need for a domestic violence shelter and support program on campus. Many campus programs, and the nearby shelter in Lansing, the Council Against Domestic Assault (now called End Violent Encounters, or EVE, Inc.) supported these efforts. University departments and units generously gave staff time, in-kind donations and financial contributions that enabled services to be provided that same year. MSUSP began offering shelter, support and limited advocacy services in June 1994; community education in Sept.1994; scholarships in August 1997; and the corporate education program ran from 1998-2003. In 1999 MSUSP received a large federal grant from the Department of Justice, Violence Against Women Office, to assist in program expansion (1999-2006), which has funded extensive advocacy services. MSUSP currently has four full time staff, several interns each semester, and between 20-50 volunteers per year.

Contact person: Alyssa Baumann, Volunteer & Advocacy Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (517) 432-6193

Address:

G-55 Wilson Hall East Lansing, MI 48825 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.msu.edu/~safe

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