University students who fall victim to sexual assault now have access to another form of support on Grounds: the Survivor Support Network.
The network's "goal is to give students an increased number of safe people to talk to and to increase reporting" of sexual assault, said Claire Kaplan, director of Sexual and Domestic Violence Services at the University's Women's Center. Kaplan said she helped organize the network along with fourth-year College student Julianne Koch.
The program launched last Wednesday, when 13 professors, teaching assistants and student advisors completed a two-hour training session aimed at working with victims of sexual assault, Kaplan said.
Kaplan also noted that the network is making training available to Resident Staff members in an attempt to broaden the organization's support base.
"I'd like to see this program become as widespread as Safe Space," Koch said in reference to the program that provides faculty support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students, adding that the new network is the first program of its kind to incorporate faculty members on a regular basis.
During last week's training session, participants listened to a group of student survivors, reacted to hypothetical situations and discussed definitions of terms associated with sexual assault, Koch said. She said each participant also left with a 60-page manual of additional material.
According to Kaplan, members of the network will identify themselves by displaying a sticker on their office door or window. The sticker features an awareness ribbon colored purple, representing domestic violence, and teal, representing sexual assault.
If an advisor or authority figure is identifiable as a member of the program, Thornton said, victims should feel more comfortable approaching him or her with their situation.
Kaplan said she believes it is important for victims to talk to someone with the skills to properly handle the situation, rather than just confiding in a friend.
"Friends want to be supportive, but really don't know what to do," Kaplan said, adding that she feels that friends are as equally uninformed as victims about available resources and the legal aspects of sexual violence.
Walker Thornton, executive director of the Sexual Assault Resource Agency, noted that sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes.
"Between 20 to 40 percent of sexual assaults are actually reported, and probably 50 percent of sexual assault survivors never tell anyone, even a friend," he said.
According to Koch, some victims need more than emotional support while recovering, adding that the network gives professors and TAs a better understanding of the warning signs of a student who is experiencing depression or post-traumatic stress because of sexual violence.
For example, Koch noted, a straight-A student might stop coming to class or turning in assignments as a result of such violence. Training through the network can help "provide a way to open conversation with that student" or even encourage professors to give an extension on an assignment, according to Koch. She added that this could be what keeps a victim from failing a class and "becoming a downward spiral."
The Survivor Support Network is the latest addition to a number of sexual violence awareness programs at the University including 1 in 4 and the Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy group.
"Sexual violence is a really complicated topic," Thornton said. "Most of us aren't equipped to deal with it."
-- Hannah Wallace contributed to this article
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