SHARPP at UNH has a lengthy and rich history dating back to the late 1970s. Over the years our location, program name, and overall structure has changed to best meet the needs of our community. We exist today as a direct result of student activism, community organizing, and faculty/staff member advocacy and vision. Although our roots stem from UNH Durham- today, we serve all University of New Hampshire campuses across the state.
At the start of 2024, we began to take a deeper look at our program's name (SHARPP- Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program) to ensure we were remaining accessible to all UNH community members and accurately representing our full scope of service. Our program's name had not been changed since 1982 and after careful consideration, community member feedback, and multiple focus groups made up of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty/staff members- we formally changed our name.
The goals of our name change process were to:
- Update our name to better reflect our scope of service (both in relation to prevention & advocacy) for experiences of all types of interpersonal violence (IPV), not solely sexual harassment and sexual violence
- Maintain a connection to our
- History/roots, which makes us unique when compared to other collegiate programs similar to ours across the country
- Acronym "SHARPP", which has significant recognition and longevity here at UNH
- Create a new name that is more inclusive, descriptive, and trauma-informed for individuals who have experienced harm
Our understanding of, and the language we use to describe, interpersonal violence issues continues to evolve and shift. Neither the climate around IPV nor UNH looks the same as when we became SHARPP in 1982 and it feels like, in 2024, it is time for our name to reflect that. As of August 2024 our program's name will shift to The SHARPP Center for Interpersonal Violence Awareness, Prevention, and Advocacy. With this new name, we drop the words behind the acronym SHARPP and instead use it as a moniker that ties us back to our history.
This information and timeline is made possible from the research of Sriyam Rimal (UNH '24 Alumna) and Erica Vazza (SHARPP staff member and UNH '14 Alumna). This year-long archival project took place during the 2023-2024 academic year with the help of the University of New Hampshire's Special Collections, Archives & Museum along with the Scholar's Repository. This timeline was made into a visual display showcasing SHARPP's decades-long history in the Spring of 2024.
*What is outlined on this webpage is not a comprehensive timeline of SHARPP's full history. With a legacy of over 45 years here at UNH, we chose to provide more of a general overview of key milestones that contributed to the creation of SHARPP and/or highlight the national/local climate around interpersonal violence.
The early-mid 1970s included pivotal national, regional, and local milestones that began to set the foundation for interpersonal violence (IPV) support services and awareness-raising initiatives. From the first NH public hearing on the status of women (coordinated by the NH Commission on the Status of Women in 1971), to former President Nixon signing Title IX into effect (1972), with the first ever Take Back The Night event being held at the University of Southern Florida (1972), and Congress amending the Federal Rules of Evidence while creating the Privacy Protection for Rape Victims Act (1975), to the creation of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence (NHCADSV, 1977)- these milestones (and so many more) laid the groundwork for SHARPP (or rather a version of it) to come into existence by 1978.
1978
Barbara Cavanaugh (Former Associate Director of Nursing Services at UNH's Health Center) chaired a group of concerned faculty, staff, and community members looking to support survivors of sexual violence and prevent assault from happening at UNH. This group formally became The Rape Task Force and maintained the goals of recording campus sexual assaults, developing services for survivors, training employees, and educating the public about sexual violence.
Somewhere within the early 1980's The Rape Task Force changed its name to The Rape Assistance and Information Program (RAIP)
1981
- Students organized to hold the first Take Back The Night event at UNH
- Liz Day (former Director of the Woman's Resource Center in Portsmouth) collaborated with the Rape Task Force/RAIP to facilitate UNH's first-ever volunteer training program for advocates. Staff members from Health Services (Now known as Health & Wellness), UNH Police, Durham Police, Residential Life, and Dispatch were some of the first 24/7 on-call advocates for survivors/victims of violence.
1982
- Nancy Schroeder (Former Assistant Dean of Students) assumed leadership of RAIP as part of her job description and applied for programmatic funding from the UNH president at the time, Evelyn Handler. The program received a grant of $7,500 which served as the first form of University funding.
- The Rape Assistance and Information Program formally changed its name to SHARPP- The Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program
1984
UNH implemented non-sexist language policies and guidelines for community members
1986
Supreme court ruling defines sexual harassment as sexual discrimination based on Title VII guidelines
1987
- Widely publicized sexual assault occurs in a UNH residential hall involving three male perpetrators and one female victim. Two of the three male perpetrators were arrested and charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault in a NH criminal court process. Later that year, a public (open for viewing/attendance) hearing was held at UNH in Hamilton Smith Hall. The three male students were found not responsible by UNH. Community members were outraged by the overall hearing process, lack of training of the judicial board, lack of support given to the survivor and the actions of the lawyer. This resulted in campus-wide protests, walk-outs, rally's, and student outrage.
- UNH President Haaland announced and endorsed a new sexual harassment policy, by April the Administrative board approved the policy to be used system-wide
- A University committee was formed to advise the President on issues related to sexual violence
- Emergency phones were installed around campus
- UNH President Haaland announces that a full-time sexual assault program will be starting
- Mariquita (Maggie) Morrison becomes part-time SHARPP coordinator
1988
- Mariquita (Maggie) Morrison steps out of her part-time coordinator position when the role is made full-time. Eve Goodmon, SHARPP's first full-time coordinator is hired.
- UNH Faculty members in Justice Studies complete research on unwanted sexual experiences at UNH (this was prior to mandated campus climate surveys and helped assess experiences of violence specific to UNH)
1990
SHARPP supports student activists in launching a student-run escort and safe rides service, after university-funding was cut for these programs that used to be facilitated by staff members. Students secure a Parents' Association grant for $5,000 to run this program.
1992
UNH fraternities songs/chants are publicly criticized and reviewed due to sexist, graphic, and inappropriate language
1993
- The first clothesline project is hosted at UNH by SHARPP
- Marital rape becomes a crime in all 50 states
1994
President Clinton signs the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
1995
- UNH students organize and attend the national women's rights rally in Washington D.C.
- Eve Goodmon resigns and Elizabeth Plante is appointed the new SHARPP Director
1997
- UNH's sexual misconduct policy is amended
- UNH fraternities and sororities collaborate with SHARPP for their annual Take Back The Night event, this marks the first time at UNH where this partnership happens
1999
SHARPP hosts open forums for the UNH community focused on discussing campus climate, harassment/violence, campus culture, and social norms
Within the early 2000s SHARPP moves locations from the Batchellor House to Wolff House and begins the annual Open House event. Throughout these years SHARPP begins to offer more educational programming and awareness-raising events in addition to support-based spaces. This includes discussions for men on masculinity, open forums, mock trials, guest speakers, peer education programming, and more.
2000
- UNH Faculty members in Justice Studies complete additional research on unwanted sexual experiences at UNH, releasing a second community report
- Greek/SHARPP liaison program is established at UNH
TNH Vol. 91 No. 40 (Mar. 23 2001)
2001
- April officially becomes Sexual Assault Awareness Month nationally. However, by the late 1990s colleges and universities were hosting educational and awareness events throughout the month of April (this includes SHARPP).
- UNH students rally at the MUB holding banners and wearing t-shirts with statistics related to interpersonal violence, this is in response to an increase of sexual assaults
2004
January officially becomes National Stalking Awareness Month
2006
- Survivor and activist Tarana Burke founds the Me Too Movement
- UNH Faculty members in Justice Studies complete additional research on unwanted sexual experiences at UNH, releasing a third community report
2012
UNH Faculty members in Justice Studies complete additional research on unwanted sexual experiences at UNH, releasing their third and final community report
2014
White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault is created
TNH Vol. 109 No. 4 (Sep. 19 2019)
2019
- Jill Biden visits SHARPP to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
- UNH administered a campus climate survey focused on assessing community members' attitudes, beliefs, and experiences
2021
SHARPP & Health + Wellness Staff co-author and publicly release UNH’s Comprehensive Prevention Plan
