Building a new safety net for Yale's victims

A recent proposal by the Yale College Council (YCC) offers a new tactic in the battle against sexual assault, especially with regard to the problem of under-reporting. Trumbull College Council representatives Stephanie Schmid, TC '02, Paige Herwig, TC '02, and YCC President Jamie Ponsoldt, MC '01, are among those working to create a Yale Sexual Assault Crisis Center that would provide face-to-face, student-to-student advocacy for victims. The three recently met with Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg to discuss their goal: trained student volunteers who would be available at all hours to support victimized students, give advice, and help them obtain the immediate medical attention they need.

CAYTE PUSHKAREVA/YH Paige Herwig, TC '02, and Stephanie Schmid, TC '02, are helping to found the Yale Sexual Assault Crisis Center upon face-to-face aid.

Schmid said that Trachtenberg, who is a member of Yale's Grievance Board for Student Complaints of Sexual Harassment, is generally supportive of the cause, albeit cautious about details. But because some express doubts about the feasibility of the program, its fate, for now, remains uncertain.

The status quo

The YCC's plan grew in response to a perceived void in the University's current system. The formal administrative body that addresses problems is the Grievance Board. The seven-person board includes two students, two faculty members, two administrators, and a social worker. It has no punitive power; it either acts informally, discussing concerns with the student, or, when formal complaints are filed, serves as a neutral body that investigates incidents and gives recommendations to college deans and faculty members. Punitive measures can be pursued only if the student chooses to file a complaint through Yale's Executive Committee (ExComm).

Though the Grievance Board and ExComm are important resources, working through their bureaucratic operations can be daunting. "It's an arduous procedure for someone who has already gone through incredible trauma," Schmid, who drafted the new proposal, said. One problem is the small number of students who serve on the board. The students are selected by application and interview, and their associations with the board are not widely advertised. To many of their classmates, they might be total strangers. "Two students just aren't very many to represent the entire college community," Ponsoldt said. He explained that somone might be hesitant to come forward when faced with a panel of strange names and faces. Any hesitation, moreover, is hurtful in cases of assault. Members of the board are sometimes approached two or three months after an incident. When this happens, victims not only miss the psychological or medical attention that is crucial immediately following a crisis. The case becomes legally difficult to prove as well.

Schmid emphasized that ExComm's strict procedures create additional stress. While before the board, a student may withdraw her charges at any time, but once a student files a complaint with ExComm, it is finalized and out of her hands. In addition, it is hard to keep track of the operations of the notoriously secretive committee. "It's an extremely intimidating body to face," Schmid said. "The problem with ExComm is that you never know what you're getting into because the proceedings are so quiet." The other option, besides going through the board and ExComm, is to file charges with the police. This can be an equally—if not more—discouraging process. "I just don't think we have a system that's terribly conducive to the victims being believed," Herwig said.

Consent, an anonymous peer counseling hotline, is another aspect of Yale's system that deals with rape and sexual assault. Consent counselors go through extensive training in conjunction with University Health Services (UHS), and are taught to refer callers to the University's other resources. The biggest hurdle that Consent faces is a lack of availability. The hotline is open from Sunday to Wednesday, 9 p.m. to midnight. At other times, callers hear a voice-mail announcement. Consent's hours do not include the prime party hours of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. "They provide a valuable service, but I don't think it's at the time that would be most valuable," Sara Aviel, DC '02, commented. "In a college setting, it seems to me that the most likely time that assaults would occur would be on weekends when everyone is out and about."

Ponsoldt said that Consent's anonymity can be troublesome as well. "Some people want to call a hotline and remain unidentified," he said. "Others want a human being to talk to, and I think they should have that option." Schmid agreed. "We can try to put a friendly face and name to what can be a scary, daunting, and not-so-well-informed process."

A new source of support

The proposed Yale Sexual Assault Crisis Center (YSACC) would be a student-run, student-based program. Ideally, at least one counselor would be available, in person, 24 hours a day, who could accompany victims to the hospital or support them through immediate trauma. Originally, Schmid's proposal envisioned counselors in the residential college system, who were similar to the freshman counselors; now she foresees one central location staffed by a group of volunteer trained counselors. The training would be conducted through a New Haven-based center called the Sexual Assault Crisis Center (SACC). SACC, which provides its services to the greater New Haven area, dealt with 339 victims in 1999 alone and is well versed in face-to-face advocacy.

CAYTE PUSHKAREVA/YH Student counseling programs like Walden and Consent may soon be joined by a crisis center that takes rape counseling further.

Schmid emphasized that YSACC would not replace any of the existing resources on campus. Rather, it would be a centralizing force that would bring all other programs together into a coherent whole. "One of the problems is that everyone tries to reinvent the wheel," Schmid said of Yale's programs. Institutionalization would give the center the strength and ability to endure. Herwig also stressed the idea of collaboration. "Consent, the Grievance Board, UHS, the Peer Educators, the Women's Center—they are all wonderful resources," she said. "I don't want them to think we are stepping on their toes. It just makes sense to work together."

The proposal, however, is not without its difficulties. Some are unsure whether the new student counselors would be able to handle the intensity of the operation. "Face-to-face counseling of sexual assault survivors may be an unrealistic responsibility for a college student," Ellen Morrow, TD '01, one of the students on the Grievance Board, said. Indeed, the program demands much, emotionally as well as physically. And for the program to work, there must be an absolute trust of the counselors—confidentiality is of supreme importance. Should privacy become eroded in any way, the University could be held liable.

`A model that works'

Schmid answered these contentions by citing examples of similar programs at other universities that have overcome similar problems. "We have a model that works in places like Dartmouth and Columbia," she declared. The peer advocacy program at Dartmouth includes 75 volunteer counselors who go through a 22-hour training class. The program sees about 50 students a year. Though there is no central location, the student advocates can be reached at any time through e-mail. "It is a very sound way of reaching people here since we are a totally e-mail-dependent campus," Susan Marine, coordinator of the Dartmouth program, said. Concerning the benefits of the program, she explained, "I think survivors know they have a person designated to help them in any way they need, and that goes a long way in terms of their healing." Dartmouth's rate of reporting has increased significantly in the last five years, although it is impossible to know whether this trend stems from increased reporting or from increased occurrence. Nevertheless, its difference from Yale is clear—Dartmouth has recorded nearly 40 reports of sexual assault in recent years. In comparison, Yale University's Report on Campus Security reports four "sex offenses" in 1997 and three in 1998—only one of which involved a student.

Meanwhile, Columbia's Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center (RCAVSC) boasts a centralized space on the first floor of a dorm complex. It is staffed by two students who work from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. six nights a week. Students can choose to call anonymously or to drop in. In addition, a beeper rotates among the staff so that counselors can respond to calls on a 24-hour basis. The center has also alleviated some of the problems of liability and confidentiality by instituting a rule that staff members are not allowed to work with an acquaintance. "Even if it isn't their best friend, if they've partied together before, we don't allow counseling," Maura Bairley, the coordinating officer of RCAVSC, explained. "That's why we have two staffers a night. It works out fine." Bairley also explained that the issue of liability is far outweighed by the benefits of face-to-face advocacy. "The idea that everyone has a safe space and a safe person to come to is so important. Of course, different people access our resources differently, but it's great to have those options."

The task now falls to Yale to provide similar options for its students. If all goes well, YSACC will be able to meet with UHS, legal counsels, and student groups such as Consent. and begin plans to train counselors by the end of the semester. In the end, however, more time is needed to tell whether Yale can ultimately provide a watchful environment sensitive to victims of sexual assault.

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