Fact Sheet: Realignment of University Support Services for Students Impacted by Sexual Violence

Last week, the University announced the realignment of key departments to create a stronger and more integrated set of University support services for students impacted by sexual violence.

Some students and community members have expressed concern about the realignment of the Advocacy Center services. This fact sheet will answer questions and concerns, as well as further reiterate Syracuse University’s commitment to providing safe and supportive services to students who have been impacted by sexual and relationship violence.

The new structure will:

Centralize resources, not decentralize them.
• Many students, faculty and staff expressed confusion over which office to go to for which service.
• Currently, there are more than five different points of entry within the University for students seeking these services.
• This new structure of a single-point privileged resource allows the University to provide clarity to students on reporting and confidentiality.

Provide clear direction on how students can access privileged and confidential resources to protect their rights.
• Privileged and confidential are not the same.
• Under law, a privileged resource allows information a student provides to remain confidential.
• A non-privileged resource deemed confidential (based on recent federal guidelines) would still need to report information shared by the student, such as the nature, date, time and general location of an incident.
• The Counseling Center is a privileged resource. The Advocacy Center was not.
• Given the recent federal guidelines, confidential does not go far enough to protect students who want all information about an incident to remain completely confidential.

Many students, staff, faculty, survivors and allies voices were heard.
• Over the past year, the Division of Student Affairs has been hearing concerns about the lack of clarity around which offices to go to, who is confidential and how is that defined, and what information will be shared. Students were deeply concerned about any part of their story being shared.

Student groups connected to the Advocacy Center will remain in their current space.
• Jill Sneider of the Advocacy Center, who now serves as the sexual assault and relationship violence prevention specialist in the Office of Health Promotion, will continue to lead and work with all the existing student groups, such as A Men’s Issue, e5m, Sex-Esteem and Mentors in Violence Prevention, that have been currently housed in the Advocacy Center.

Survivors have been utilizing the Counseling Center for sexual assault services.
• Over the last four years, data confirms that students have been utilizing the Counseling Center for sexual assault in equal numbers.
• Additionally, the Office of Student Assistance has been serving as a centralized support hub providing comprehensive outreach and assistance services for students in distress.

The Counseling Center provides 24-hour support, crisis intervention, consultation and advocacy to all full-time and part-time enrolled students throughout the year.

Two new staff positions will be created at the Counseling Center to focus specifically on sexual assault and relationship violence.
• Susan Pasco, Ph.D., LCSW-R, who has served in the Counseling Center since 1994, has been appointed Associate Director, Sexual and Relationship Violence Clinical Response Coordinator, and will provide oversight and management of the center’s services in regard to sexual violence. Pasco has more than 20 years of experience providing clinical services to survivors of sexual violence, including a former appointment at the Syracuse University R.A.P.E. Center and previous leadership of the Princeton University Sexual Harassment/Assault, Advising, Resources and Education Program.
• A search is underway for a second sexual and relationship violence therapist position with a fall 2014 start date.

There will be no interruption in services to students, and the University will continue to offer dedicated advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence on campus.
• The Counseling Center will continue to discuss all available medical, counseling, legal and university reporting options with students; accompany them to area police departments and/or the Department of Public Safety; assist students with safety planning and obtaining orders of protection; facilitate referrals for follow up health care; and assist friends and family members of survivors of sexual and/or relationship violence.
• The Office of Student Assistance will continue to provide ongoing case management services; support students through the judicial or criminal processes; coordinate with academic affairs; provide interim relief support; assist with medical leaves and any other general support needs.

Changes are in line with guidelines and best practices published in the White House Task Force report.
• This new structure of a single-point privileged resource allows the University to provide clarity to students on reporting and confidentiality.
• A campus climate survey will be voluntarily conducted on our campus.
• Key stakeholders, including students, survivors, peer educators, campus security, etc., will be brought together to review our Sexual Misconduct Policy in the coming months.

For further questions, email studentaffairs@syr.edu or call 315-443-4263.