Class discussion brings UP officials together, creates change on campus
By Christina Moran '07
Read, take notes, write paper, repeat.
For many college students, the routine of academia can become repetitive. And at the end of the semester, a three-digit number is often the only thing that they have to show for 15 weeks of work.
Last semester, the students in Professor Lara Trout's Philosophy and Feminism class decided to break this mold and apply what they learned in class to a practical campus issue-sexual assault.
After group discussion and an independent writing assignment, Trout and her class, which was approximately half male and half female, developed a formal report that proposed the creation of a team to address sexual assault on campus.
Trout presented the report to a number of UP officials who were receptive to the class' ideas. As a result, University officials and students joined together in January to form the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Team (SAPET). The group is comprised of representatives from the Office of Residence Life, the University Health Center, Public Safety, Student Activities, Volunteer Services, Campus Ministry and the Athletic Department, along with Trout and student representatives.
Last Thursday the Feminist Discussion Group presented SAPET with an award for its efforts. Reading from a prepared statement, senior Chelsea Egbert, chair of the Feminist Discussion Group, credited the new group with "creating a dialogue about sexual assault among both women and men," "supporting sexual assault victims," and demonstrating "continued diligence in creating a safer campus and more healthful community."
Senior Claire Jesse, a student from Trout's class who is involved in SAPET, said the new taskforce will enable the University to more effectively support survivors of sexual assault. In Trout's class, Jesse said, students evaluated the University's policies and procedures in comparison to other colleges and universities.
"It surprised me to see how far behind we were," Jesse said.
SAPET is currently working to revamp the UP sexual assault advocacy program, implement a campus hotline for survivors of sexual assault, and develop an online guide for preventing and responding to sexual assault.
The hotline, which will be put into effect later this month, will provide sexual assault survivors with a list of possible people and organizations to contact.
"Many times when you're in a situation like that you need those options laid out for you," Jesse said.
SAPET is designing the new hotline to be accessible as possible for people in distress, to give as many options as possible, and to allow the sexual assault survivor to control the situation.
Another key component of the hotline will be access to trained student advocates, said Trish Harris Brown, chair of SAPET and a psychologist in the University Health Center. The Sexual Assault Advocacy Network will be implemented in the fall, Harris Brown said.
Junior Will Steele was eager to become involved in SAPET and raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.
"What I'd really like more than anything is for sexual assault to stop being this nebulous concept," Steele said.
According to Steele, sexual assault is much more common than people typically think. Steele said he would like to challenge the stereotypical image of sexual assault: a random attack in a crime-ridden neighborhood involving two strangers. Sexual assault, Steele said, happens in the dorms and can begin as a consensual act.
Harris Brown said the new taskforce is a way for the campus community to come together and address an important issue.
"[Sexual assault] is a disrespect of the individual, but it's also a disrespect of the community's values," she said.
