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SVPP First-Year Experience

Introduction

First-Year Experience

Dartmouth students come to campus with very different backgrounds, levels of knowledge, and comfort with talking about sexual violence. The Sexual Violence Prevention Project (SVPP) First-Year Experience was intentionally designed through research and with the help of upper-level students to ensure all first-years are on the same page and can build on this foundation throughout their time at Dartmouth.  

The components of the SVPP First-Year Experience will introduce students to the following concepts regarding each of the four outcomes:

  • Foundational knowledge;
  • Our shared language, vision, and values;
  • Our expectations of behavior and the College's standards; 
  • Students' rights, rules, responsibilities, and resources; and
  • First-level skill-building and practice. 
6 COMPONENTS

First-Year Experience for '28s

Pre-Arrival & New Student Orientation
(Provide foundational knowledge of sexual violence and an overview of Dartmouth's approach to sexual violence prevention)

   1. Pre-Arrival: Vector Solutions Sexual Assault Prevention online course
   2. Orientation: Introduction to Dartmouth's Sexual Violence Prevention Project

First-Year Sessions 
(Provide first-level skill-building and practice for each of the four outcomes)

   3. Resources & Support 1 (fall term) 
   4. Positive Relationships & Sex 1 (winter term)
   5. Bystander Intervention 1 (winter term)
   6. Power, Equity & Belonging 1 (spring term)

To register for your trainings: '28s will be PRE-REGISTERED for their fall term session, Resources & Support 1 (RS-1). To view your scheduled session time, go to DartHub and choose Courses and Grades. Click the Sexual Violence Prevention Project tile to open the SVP Portal. View your 'To Do List' and 'Upcoming Session'. If you'd like to change your session date/time, unregister from your current session and click on the calendar to register for a different session. We encourage students to attend with friends. '28 will not be preregistered for the rest of their First-Year Experience and will need to register for their remaining trainings each term.
 

Accountability

We all have a role to play -

All undergraduate students are REQUIRED to complete their annual SVPP Experience. As a member of the Dartmouth community, every one of us has a role in creating a safe and supportive campus where we don't allow sexual violence to occur. This four-year curriculum is intended to enhance students' skills to actively contribute to sexual violence prevention and increase student wellbeing. The SVPP is asset-based and designed to cultivate and strengthen interpersonal leadership skills that are transferable to other health and wellness concerns (e.g. mental health, high-risk drinking and drug abuse, self-harm and suicide, eating disorders, etc.) and can be used both in and after college. This curriculum is not intended to be punitive. However, in order to hold students accountable to one another, those who do not complete their annual SVPP Experience will be in violation of our Community Standards and receive a conduct sanction.

The SVPP First-Year Experience is also a membership requirement for joining a Greek organization (fraternity, sorrority, or gender-inclusive house) or Student Society and being on track with your annual SVPP Experience is a prerequisite to participate in many campus leadership opportunities. 

For more information visit our SVPP FAQ page.

Requesting an extension, modification, or waiver

If you need additional time to engage with a component or have concerns about participating in any SVPP component for personal reasons, please contact us at SVPP@dartmouth.edu to make arrangements. If you need support or would like to request a waiver from a confidential resource, please contact a WISE Advocate at campus@wiseuv.org or the College Chaplain, Reverend Nancy Vogele, at College.Chaplain@dartmouth.edu.