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

["Bowles, Sharon" <>]

This topic is just starting to surface at our university. Having been the Coordinator of Sexual Assault Services through our counseling center for several years, I don’t think it is appropriate for campus sexual assault advocates to be expected to serve in the same capacity for the accused offenders. I think it is a conflict of interest, and could potentially decrease survivors’ sense of trust and safety about reaching out for help on campus. I’m not saying the accused shouldn’t have support and guidance, but firmly believe it should come from different staff/source. Imagine the scenario in which the assaulted and the accused find themselves sitting across from each other in the waiting room, waiting for their appointments with their respective advocates. That is just one example of possible complications.

 

I also don’t think such support personnel for the accused should be called “advocates.” Some would say that waters down the unique and vital role of the sexual assault advocate. We would not want to do a disservice to the thousands of victims, and those who worked tirelessly to help them find a voice in our society, that has been slow to take sexual assault seriously.

 

I do know that currently our Title IX investigators remind respondents that free counseling is available to them in our counseling center, should they want support during the stressful process.

 

Sharon Bowles, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker
UTD Student Counseling Center
SSB 4.600/ 972 883-2575

 

 

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From: Torres-Zickler, Alina M. [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2016 2:45 PM
To:
Subject: Support for Accused

 

Good afternoon -

There are several administrators on my campus that are requesting that our office (which oversee Title IX and houses the Title IX Coordinator and Title IX deputy) create support positions for accused students. We currently have three staff on our campus who are considered confidential as part of our sexual misconduct support. These three confidential supports are not full time devoted to support work, it is about 20% of their jobs. Those three staff members support survivors of sexual misconduct. These staff members do not include the support and counseling provided by our counseling center which is available to all students and of course, confidential.

 

My questions are: Do your campuses have specific support people for accused students? If so, are they confidential? What type of support do they provide.

Does anyone have cases or references you can point me towards that suggest/require that we have support services for the accused?

Any insight would be appreciated!

-Alina

 

 

Alina Torres-Zickler

Assistant Director

Office of Social Equity

West Chester University

Ph. 610.436.2838

Email:

 

Pronouns: She, her, hers

 

Be kind, for everyone is fighting their own quiet battle. - Cicero