The University Health Center reorganized its resources to create the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program Advocate Office after funding problems threatened to close the Office of the Victim Advocate last year.
Health center administrators say the restructured program will not reduce the counseling and education services previously provided and may even enhance the center’s ability to help students. While past programs relied on part-time employees and graduate students, SARPP will now be headed by a full-time employee.
OVA, which assists victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes by running a 24-hour on-call hotline and more, scrambled to find additional funding last fall, as the program’s grant was set to expire. The health center announced in March that it would fund a full-time staff to provide services for victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes.
The new university-paid coordinator position is designed to “give permanency to providing this campus with sexual assault prevention and client services,” said Kelly Kesler, assistant director of health promotion at the health center.
Services available to students will be hosted by SARPP’s two sub-groups: SARPP Advocates and SARPP Peer Educators.
“The SARPP Advocates assist by providing direct services to primary and secondary victims of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking and other violent crime,” Kesler said. SARPP Peer Educators provide outreach to the campus community to complement the services provided by the advocates.
Training for Violence Intervention Assistants – students trained to provide their peers with appropriate help – is also in place.
“Many of the Greek houses have VIA-trained peers who serve as resources in their respective chapters,” Kesler said. “This year, the program hopes to increase the numbers of non-Greek resident students, athletes and others that are trained, in addition to continuing the momentum in the Greek houses.”
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life has created a graduate assistantship for sexual assault programming in its chapters, allowing the SARPP and OFSL staffs to “work closely,” Kesler said.
In addition to the full-time coordinator, two graduate assistants and one staff member devoted to special SARPP projects (such as the Clothesline Project and the Jog for Justice) will staff the program. The two assistant positions will be supported, but are not dependent on, grant funds.
The program also has hopes for overall increased strength and stability in the field of sexual assault prevention and awareness.
“These changes will allow for continued growth of the programs that had been developed and cultivated through the dedication of those who previously worked to address … violence on this campus,” Kesler said.
delbasha@umd.edu
