We’re writing as concerned volunteer peer educators that were with the Advocacy Center, and are now part of the Office of Health Promotion. We’re thrilled to begin this school year with both new and returning volunteers and want the campus to know that we are vibrant and we are here, continuing to promote healthy relationships and working toward preventing sexual and relationship violence on our campus. We welcome new volunteers and are available for programs and workshops. 

There’s been a lot of misinformation about the closing of the Advocacy Center that we would like to address. People are making an incorrect claim that survivors have no place to go on campus, when the only big change made to services is structural. 

The misinformation being spread on campus about adequate services not existing is far from the truth. Last year, the Advocacy Center was affected by issues with Title IX that compromised confidentiality; the switch to offering support services through the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at the Counseling Center has enabled SU to ensure full confidentiality for those affected. While many of you are understandably angry at the chancellor for the lack of communication, this wasn’t because the school was trying to silence survivors. 

It’s important to know that SU still provides the same services as before. In fact they have expanded, with five excellent counselors as part of the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team who are very good at what they do. It is important, as a community, to adjust to this change in order to continue helping students who are affected by sexual assault. The SU campus will always provide services and support to those affected by sexual and relationship violence. 

As peer leaders, our message about prevention of violence is the same as it has always been, and in fact our outreach continues to grow. 

If you’d like to make a difference on campus, we encourage you to join a group or attend a workshop. Contact Jill Sneider ([email protected]) at the Office of Health Promotion. There are three peer groups for volunteers: e5m, Sex-Esteem and Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP). 

To find out more about these groups, go to the Health Promotion website: 

http://healthpromotion.syr.edu/ 

Ashwin Sundar, volunteer member of e5m, Sex-Esteem and MVP
Rachel Johnson, volunteer member of e5m
Emily LoBraico, volunteer member of Sex-Esteem
Nyasia Stephens, volunteer member of Sex-Esteem and MVP 

Published on October 15, 2014 at 12:01 am