CAPPA Membership Guidelines & Criteria
The Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals Association (CAPPA) is a trauma-informed professional association dedicated to providing space for campus-based advocates and prevention specialists to come together to share their expertise, develop best practices, and support other professionals in the field. CAPPA is designed for campus-based professionals who work to educate their campuses and colleagues about interpersonal/gender-based violence in all its forms, and those who advocate for and support students who have been affected by dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. Our work is rooted in social justice, supporting survivors, and fostering communities that value evidence-based practice, practice-based research, and self-care.
CAPPA is centered on professionals working at or closely serving any type of institution of higher education of all affiliations, including:
Campus-based advocates and/or prevention professionals working to address interpersonal/gender-based violence
Community-based professionals working with campuses to address interpersonal/gender-based violence. To ensure that CAPPA remains centered on the needs and experiences of campus-serving professionals, membership for folks working at broader community organizations is limited to either:
One professional staff of an organization which does not have any campus-specific personnel on staff
Any professional staff at the organization who (1) have a campus focus as part of their official job description and (2) spend at least 50% of their FTE (or equivalent) dedicated to campus work
Researchers working to address the specific needs of these professionals
Graduate students working directly with campus-based professionals
National and regional technical assistance (TA) providers whose assistance focuses on interpersonal/gender-based violence prevention and advocacy
Preference will be given to the staff person at such an organization whose job description includes a campus focus
Membership will be limited to 1 staff person from each TA organization
While we value interdisciplinary perspectives, professionals representing the following will not be permitted membership in this space:
Violence prevention and advocacy as solely a matter of Title IX compliance
Investigation, adjudication, and/or student conduct
Supervisors/Directors of Health and Wellness offerings and that are broader than just primary prevention of violence and advocacy (when there are also professional staff working on the ground in these specific areas)
For-profit companies
Legal opinion
Undergraduates in the roles of prevention educators, mentors, peer advocates, and student activists
We support members who seek out new job experiences and promotions. Because we value the relationships developed in this group, members who transition into a position that falls outside of the CAPPA eligibility guidelines will retain their membership status if they feel it is appropriate to do so. In an effort to preserve the integrity of the space, CAPPA LC reserves the right to reassess membership eligibility following job transition on a case-by-case basis.
We recognize the diversity of experiences, as well as the often unique nature of this work on different campuses, and welcome individuals to contact cappaleaders@gmail.com with any questions or concerns regarding membership eligibility.
Please refer to the Google Group listserv and facebook group etiquette documents for more information on appropriate communication guidelines within CAPPA. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate removal from CAPPA.