Ohio University students now have the opportunity to help aid survivors of sexual assault through a new organization on campus.
The Survivor Advocacy Program started a new student organization this semester, Ambassadors to the Survivor Advocacy Program. SAP’s main purpose is to provide confidential support and counseling to survivors of sexual assault, stalking and relationship violence.
"We wanted to start the organization because a lot of students had been reaching out to us, wanting to have a contribution (and) have an impact on what's going on with our program,” Mackenzie Roman, SAP’s graduate assistant, said.
ASAP started in January, during the third week of the semester, Roman said.
"Right now, the student org is mostly working on outreach and getting the word out about the org and about SAP and SAP's services,” Roman, the organization's adviser, said.
ASAP has five members, and Roman said she wants the organization to grow.
“Eventually we want to teach (the organization) how to teach empathy and self-care and other response types of seminars," Roman said.
Abbey Knupp, the president of ASAP, said she found out about the organization through a flyer at Court Street Coffee.
"I joined the organization because I think the way that sexual misconduct is handled on college campuses is really bad,” Knupp, a junior studying journalism, said. “I think SAP does a lot for survivors.”
She said she doesn't think a lot of people know that SAP is back and its resources are available for students.
"As the student org, it's really important to get SAP back out there and make their presence on campus known,” Knupp said.
During the 2015-16 academic year, the program, formerly known as the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program, did not have a licensed director or coordinator for part of the year, and then the program closed Nov. 16, 2015 for the rest of the academic year. The university announced in March that SAP would reopen Fall Semester.
Delaney Anderson, whose annual salary was $37,230, was the program coordinator of OUSAP, but left her position in October 2015 for a job outside the university. The departure of Anderson, who was not a mandatory reporter, left OUSAP without a licensed and credentialed program coordinator. A non-mandatory reporter does not have to report suspicions of abuse.
Kim Castor began her position as SAP director June 27, and her salary is $62,000. Kristin Waltz, the SAP survivor advocate and case manager, started her job July 18 and earns a salary of $48,000 a year.
Castor said she hopes the organization will have a bed sheet bank.
“We have students all the time who have to give up their sheets for evidence, and we hear they don't have transportation to the store to buy new ones or they don't have extra money,” Castor said. “It would be nice for us to have that here in the office for students in those situations."
In addition to fundraising for bed sheets, Roman said she wants the organization to raise money for taxi vouchers. Last semester, SAP implemented SafeVoucher, a voucher program that helps transport sexual assault survivors to and from OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital.
The organization meets every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in SAP's office, Lindley Hall 038.
