Petition for Ohio University's Survival Advocacy Program

The Issue

 

  1. We demand formal assurance that the peer advocate program remains a part of OUSAP.  We value the importance of confidential peer support and fear that further diminishing the number of non-mandated reporters will have a chilling effect on survivors seeking help.  Peer advocates are a vital part of OUSAP and should not be moved to positions of education and outreach instead of advocacy.  Peer advocates are in a unique position to empathize, understand, and build a relationship with students who utilize OUSAP’s services. According to the Office of Civil Rights’ 2014 Title IX Guidelines, “non-professional counselors or advocates are valuable sources of support for students, and OCR strongly encourages schools to designate these individuals as confidential sources” (Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence, 2014; p. 23). 
  2. We demand that certain faculty members are designated as non-mandated reporters.  It is counterintuitive for survivors not to be able to reach out to the faculty and staff of the Women’s Center and the LGBTQ Center, or to professors in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality department, the Social Work department, and the Psychology department.  At minimum, individuals who work in these centers and departments need to be designated as confidential resources for students.  As a long-term goal, any faculty and staff who chooses to should be able to receive training to become a confidential resource.  
  3. We demand that OUSAP is completely shut down during this transition period.  OUSAP is not currently providing any confidential services, and it should be closed until an interim director is hired and its full confidential capacities are reopened.  Having a mandated reporter in charge of this program defeats its purpose as a resource for survivors.  An interim director should be located and hired as soon as possible.
  4. We demand that OUSAP’s budget and staff is not reduced during this period of transition and the ‘restructuring’ that follows.  If OUSAP is restructured, it should be expanded to hire a second licensed counselor to ensure that the program is not dependent on the employment of a single licensed individual. We find that major restructuring of the program is contrary to the recommendation of The Presidential Advisory Council on Sexual Misconduct (PACSM) during the 2014-15 year to support a full time staff person, two graduate assistants, and peer advocates for OUSAP, with a budget of $110,000.  PACSM’s recommendation was the product of intensive research by a council representing the interests of OUSAP, My Sister’s Place, CPS and Campus Care, Title IX, Community Standards, OUPD, APD,  the Women’s Center, faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students of OU.  Why “consider other models” for the structure of OUSAP and disregard PACSM’s recommendations?
  5. We demand transparency from Ohio University administrators.  It is particularly important for individuals in the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Student Affairs to be forthcoming as things move forward.
  6. We demand that the director position for OUSAP be posted immediately.  Furthermore, it is crucial to include a OUSAP graduate assistant and peer advocate on the committee for hiring the new director.
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Anika HollandPetition Starter
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This petition had 493 supporters

The Issue

 

  1. We demand formal assurance that the peer advocate program remains a part of OUSAP.  We value the importance of confidential peer support and fear that further diminishing the number of non-mandated reporters will have a chilling effect on survivors seeking help.  Peer advocates are a vital part of OUSAP and should not be moved to positions of education and outreach instead of advocacy.  Peer advocates are in a unique position to empathize, understand, and build a relationship with students who utilize OUSAP’s services. According to the Office of Civil Rights’ 2014 Title IX Guidelines, “non-professional counselors or advocates are valuable sources of support for students, and OCR strongly encourages schools to designate these individuals as confidential sources” (Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence, 2014; p. 23). 
  2. We demand that certain faculty members are designated as non-mandated reporters.  It is counterintuitive for survivors not to be able to reach out to the faculty and staff of the Women’s Center and the LGBTQ Center, or to professors in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality department, the Social Work department, and the Psychology department.  At minimum, individuals who work in these centers and departments need to be designated as confidential resources for students.  As a long-term goal, any faculty and staff who chooses to should be able to receive training to become a confidential resource.  
  3. We demand that OUSAP is completely shut down during this transition period.  OUSAP is not currently providing any confidential services, and it should be closed until an interim director is hired and its full confidential capacities are reopened.  Having a mandated reporter in charge of this program defeats its purpose as a resource for survivors.  An interim director should be located and hired as soon as possible.
  4. We demand that OUSAP’s budget and staff is not reduced during this period of transition and the ‘restructuring’ that follows.  If OUSAP is restructured, it should be expanded to hire a second licensed counselor to ensure that the program is not dependent on the employment of a single licensed individual. We find that major restructuring of the program is contrary to the recommendation of The Presidential Advisory Council on Sexual Misconduct (PACSM) during the 2014-15 year to support a full time staff person, two graduate assistants, and peer advocates for OUSAP, with a budget of $110,000.  PACSM’s recommendation was the product of intensive research by a council representing the interests of OUSAP, My Sister’s Place, CPS and Campus Care, Title IX, Community Standards, OUPD, APD,  the Women’s Center, faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students of OU.  Why “consider other models” for the structure of OUSAP and disregard PACSM’s recommendations?
  5. We demand transparency from Ohio University administrators.  It is particularly important for individuals in the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Student Affairs to be forthcoming as things move forward.
  6. We demand that the director position for OUSAP be posted immediately.  Furthermore, it is crucial to include a OUSAP graduate assistant and peer advocate on the committee for hiring the new director.
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Anika HollandPetition Starter
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Petition created on October 27, 2015