Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Juliette Grimmett" <>]

i must agree with chad here and to add to what he has described, I also
get very concerned when these issues are linked because it can
(sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally) put the
responsibility for perpetrating SV on alcohol and not the person.  If we
got rid of all the alcohol in the world, rape would still occur - it is
an intentional tool used by perpetrators to commit rape.  Also,
combining offices can be challenging for survivors because if they were
drinking and raped, this combination office could unintentionally cause
victim-blaming and a fear for that person to come forward - same is true
for combined programs.

juliette


>>> "Chad Sniffen" 
>>> <>
>>>  08/02/08 8:50 AM >>>
Hello Nancy,

I have never been to a National Meeting, so I apologize that I did not
specify that my opinion about the conflation of AOD prevention and
(sexual) violence prevention is not the same as an opinion about the
National Meeting. Having never attended, of course, I could not offer
one.

My opinion about mixing AOD prevention and sexual violence prevention,
as you might guess, is somewhat well formed. I am glad to know that the
Meeting provides an opportunity for AOD and violence prevention
educators to share their knowledge, and I completely agree that the
opportunities for collaboration there are very important.

However, I have also witnessed the aftermath when institutions follow
the Higher Education Center's advice to integrate "...alcohol and other
drug (AOD) prevention with sexual assault prevention programs."
(http://www.higheredcenter.org/high-risk/violence/rape). When I have
seen that merger, and spoken to friends and colleagues who have
experienced that merger, sexual assault prevention programming has
always lost. Merged departments focus on AOD prevention, rape prevention
resources become starved and stymied, and rape prevention educators
discover that they've been split-funded to talk about sexual violence
one day and run alcohol diversion classes the next.

So, I understand that I have no way of knowing if the anecdotal
experiences I've described are common or rare. By that same token, I
don't have any examples of AOD/SV mergers going well, or of a merged
department successfully maintaining a focus AOD and SV prevention as
separate and distinct activities, deserving of separate and distinct
staff, deserving of separate and distinct budgets. If someone has a
positive story of such a merger, I would love to hear about it. That
would go a long way towards challenging my perception of the what the
DOE meant when they deigned that violence on college campuses deserved
to be named.

Best,
Chad



-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Wahlig 
[mailto:]
 
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 8:44 AM
To: Chad Sniffen; 

Subject: RE: National Meeting on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and
Violence Prevention in Higher Education 

Dear Chad,
I am not exactly sure what you meant, but I want to say positive
comments about the National Meeting.  I have been involved with the
National Meeting since the mid 90's as a participant, as a presenter and
as a member of the planning committee for two National Meetings.  It is
well organized, offers excellent workshops and forums, brings in top
notch keynote speakers and provides professionals the opportunity to
network with colleagues from across the nation.  In addition, the Higher
Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence
Prevention (www.higheredcenter.org) is a resource that I use frequently.

I would also add that when the Department of Education officially added
violence prevention to the National Meeting, many of us were thrilled
that the issue had been "named."  It provided the chance for alcohol
abuse prevention educators and violence prevention educators to talk
together, collaborate back in their own communities, all for the goal of
eliminating all forms of violence.  

Take care,
Nancy

Nancy Wahlig, LCSW
Director
Sexual Assault & Violence Prevention
Resource Center
UC San Diego
858/534-5793
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