2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty trained to counsel sexual assault victims
Alex Barouh
Issue date: 2/3/05 Section: News
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As part of a new sexual assault program called the Sexual Assault Resource Team (S.A.R.T.), three professors presented at the Jan. 21 faculty meeting to informally train faculty how to respond to a student who reports a sexual assault.
Francesca Coppa, Associate Professor of English, Jeremy Teissere, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of the Neuroscience Program and Adrian Gardner, Circulation/Reference Assistant at Trexler Library spoke about four things faculty members should do if a victim of sexual assault comes to them.
According to the presenters, first, the faculty members should "affirm the student." Second, they should "affirm that the student has choices." Third, faculty members should "keep quiet and observe confidentiality." Finally, they should "report the report to Campus Safety."
The College has had a number of programs centered on providing assistance to sexual assault victims, including the student-based Sexual Assault Support System (S.A.S.S.).
S.A.S.S. is made up of students who have been trained to provide support for victims at any stage of the healing process, while S.A.R.T. solely employs staff and faculty members.
S.A.R.T. has been created to provide sexual assault support in a variety of ways. Anita Kelly, Director of Counseling Services, has been training the new team since the start of the 2004 fall semester.
The team consists of professors and staff members who are meant to provide resources and connections for victims of sexual assault.
Kelly explained that the staff and professors were trained in the campus policy on sexual assaults, legal advice in regard to state and national sexual assault policies and psychology and trauma.
Not only are victims provided with information and counseling, but they are also strongly encouraged to seek a medical examination from a sexual assault forensic examiner at a local hospital.
The primary goal of S.A.R.T. is to provide the College Community with positive connections and resources to deal with sexual assaults.
Francesca Coppa, Associate Professor of English, Jeremy Teissere, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of the Neuroscience Program and Adrian Gardner, Circulation/Reference Assistant at Trexler Library spoke about four things faculty members should do if a victim of sexual assault comes to them.
According to the presenters, first, the faculty members should "affirm the student." Second, they should "affirm that the student has choices." Third, faculty members should "keep quiet and observe confidentiality." Finally, they should "report the report to Campus Safety."
The College has had a number of programs centered on providing assistance to sexual assault victims, including the student-based Sexual Assault Support System (S.A.S.S.).
S.A.S.S. is made up of students who have been trained to provide support for victims at any stage of the healing process, while S.A.R.T. solely employs staff and faculty members.
S.A.R.T. has been created to provide sexual assault support in a variety of ways. Anita Kelly, Director of Counseling Services, has been training the new team since the start of the 2004 fall semester.
The team consists of professors and staff members who are meant to provide resources and connections for victims of sexual assault.
Kelly explained that the staff and professors were trained in the campus policy on sexual assaults, legal advice in regard to state and national sexual assault policies and psychology and trauma.
Not only are victims provided with information and counseling, but they are also strongly encouraged to seek a medical examination from a sexual assault forensic examiner at a local hospital.
The primary goal of S.A.R.T. is to provide the College Community with positive connections and resources to deal with sexual assaults.