Hilkemann is a former student-athlete at Doane and is excited to transition into this new role.
Doane University welcomed a new CAPE and OVW Director this semester, with 2023 Doane graduate Jaden Hilkemann stepping in to fill the position.
CAPE, which stands for Campus Advocacy, Protection and Education, is a grant awarded by the Office on Violence against Women (OVW) and aims to help decrease the stigma, provide support and prevent further instances of sexual assault and interpersonal violence. Hilkemann served as a CAPE Peer Educator, Lead CAPE Peer Educators, interned for CAPE over the summer and was passionate about the work CAPE does.
“When I saw that this position was open, I got a little sentimental. I wanted to make sure this program was in the right hands. I wanted to continue the work I did in my undergrad,” Hilkemann said.
Hilkemann believes that prevention efforts through education can help curb sexual assault. Whether that is by partnering with advocacy groups in the area like Hope Crisis Center, Voices of Hope or Crete Police and doing peer education, these serve as preventative efforts to curb sexual assault.
“We want to get people thinking about how they might be contributing to an unhealthy community or how they’re in an unhealthy situation themselves,” Hilkemann said.
Hilkemann has a quote in her office that reads, “There comes a point where you need stop just pulling people out the river, we need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in,” and it serves as one of her guiding principles for CAPE.
“We want all students to feel safe while they’re here at Doane, so I prioritize being ahead of that and making sure our students are equipped with the tools to notice red flags or intervene when something is arising,” Hilkemann said.
One of the main reasons Hilkemann felt inclined to take this job was her knowledge and familiarity with the culture of Doane and how to target students from Doane specifically. She hopes that she can align CAPE’s values with Doane’s values.
Hilkemann hopes to inspire the men and male athletes on campus to become more involved with CAPE, whether that be by having them be peer educators or collaborating with them for halftime events at their games.
“The male athletes on this campus are already such role models, and I feel like targeting that demographic can shift campus views and makes them use their influence to help inspire them to help us,” Hilkemann said. Hilkemann hopes that she works to get CAPE as a permanent program at Doane instead of being funded by a federal grant by the time she steps away from the position. If you are interested in joining CAPE and being a peer educator you can reach out to Jaden Hilkemann at jaden.hilkemann@doane.edu or by applying through the student leadership application.
