11 candidates applied for the director position and 52 applied for the advocate position.
Ohio University expects to fill both open positions in the Survivor Advocacy Program before the beginning of Fall Semester.
The university is in the process of conducting interviews for the position of director of the program, and expects to screen candidates for the position of survivor advocate and case manager after hiring a director, OU Spokesman Dan Pittman said.
11 candidates applied for the director position, which closed April 24, and 52 applied for the advocate position, which closed May 15, Pittman said.
“We are confident that having two full-time, licensed individuals staffing the SAP program will allow for increased outreach, training and programmatic depth,” Pittman said in an email.
In March, the university announced that SAP expects to reopen Fall Semester, according to a previous Post report. The program — which aims to provide confidential support and counseling to survivors of sexual assaults, stalking and relationship violence — will fall under the Division of Student Affairs and the new SAP program will report to Associate Dean of Students Patti McSteen.
The director of the program must have at least three to five years of related work experience, a master’s degree in social work, counseling or a related field and must have a license for social work, counseling or psychology, according to the job description.
The survivor advocate must have at least three to five years of related work experience, at least a bachelor’s degree and must be license eligible in Ohio, according to the job description. The university prefers that applicants have a master’s degree in social work, counseling or a related field.
The survivor advocate will not be required to report allegations of sexual misconduct. His or her duties will include providing support and referrals to student survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, as well as collaborating with other university bodies to increase awareness of sexual assault on campus, according to the job description.
The survivor advocate will report to the director of the program. The director will also participate in crisis response, and will be in charge of overseeing the program, training staff and maintaining the budget.
The addition of another full-time staff member won’t be the only change the program sees this year. The program will be called the Survivor Advocacy Program, instead of the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program as it was prior, according to a previous Post report.
SAP will remain in Lindley Hall and gain a 24/7 hotline. The program will have an annual budget of $205,000, according to the director’s job description.
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Delaney Anderson, whose annual salary was $37,230, was the program coordinator of OUSAP, but left her position in October for a job outside the university, according to a previous Post report. She was a non-mandated reporter, and her departure left OUSAP without a licensed and credentialed program coordinator. A non-mandated reporter does not have to report suspicions of abuse.
The university posted a job opening for an interim survivor advocate on Nov. 11, according to a previous Post report. Then, on Nov. 16, OUSAP temporarily closed, according to a previous Post report.
By Feb. 11, nine candidates applied to the interim survivor advocate position, but none were qualified for the position, according to a previous Post report.
Survivors in need of mental health resources before SAP’s opening in the fall can receive confidential care at OU’s Counseling and Psychological Services and Campus Care, Pittman said.
@baileygallion
