{"348231":{"#nid":"348231","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Sexual Violence Resources, Support Continue to Grow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs sexual assault on college campuses continues to be in the national spotlight, Georgia Tech is working to enhance survivor support programs, campus resources, and prevention initiatives to make Tech a safer place for all students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVOICE, an initiative of the Women\u2019s Resource Center and Office of Health Promotion, spearheads Tech\u2019s advocacy, support, and prevention services. VOICE\u2019s newly revamped website provides information about the definition of various types of sexual violence, contact information for those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has, and tips for how to be an engaged member of the campus community on this subject, including ways to prevent sexual violence and policy and legal resources.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Sexual Violence Task Force convened by President G.P. \u201cBud\u201d Peterson in April finalized a set of recommendations for the campus \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2014\/09\/15\/sexual-violence-task-force-finalizes-report\u0022\u003Ein August\u003C\/a\u003E. Recommendations included mandatory education on sexual violence for all new students, faculty, and staff; the establishment of an office that will focus on sexual violence issues; and implementing a Sexual Violence Survey. Several campus units, including the offices of Strategic Consulting, Campus Services, Student Affairs, and Legal Affairs and Risk Management, are currently reviewing Task Force recommendations and making plans for implementation. Georgia Tech\u2019s new Title IX coordinator will start on campus Nov. 24 and begin working with the campus community to ensure Tech is in compliance with new federal recommendations and regulations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EGetting Involved\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll students, faculty, and staff can join the Sexual Violence Prevention Alliance (SVPA), a volunteer group that aims to increase awareness of sexual violence and increase the number of students who seek assistance and utilize campus and community resources. The group represents departments across campus and meets monthly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe SVPA is a great way for faculty and staff interested in sexual violence prevention to get involved and learn more about programs and policies on campus,\u201d said Melanie DeMaeyer, coordinator and victim advocate for the Women\u2019s Resource Center. A student subcommittee led by the Student Government Association was added as a branch of the SVPA this year and serves as the \u201ceyes and ears\u201d on campus to provide feedback to campus leadership.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents also can request VOICE training for their organizations, which gives an introduction to the subject of sexual violence, as well as information on bystander intervention, healthy relationships, consent, sexual violence response, and survivor support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe VOICE Peer Education Program lets students take the next step of involvement by becoming trained on how to educate others on sexual violence issues and prevention. Peer educators engage in a semester-long training program and make a multisemester commitment to training their peers. The second cohort of peer educators will undergo training this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor someone who understands and really cares about this issue, or someone who knows a survivor and has seen someone go through it, you get a lot of empowering information,\u201d said Brittany Miles, a fourth-year biology major who was part of the first peer educator cohort last year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program is not for the faint of heart. Trainees undergo several weeks of meetings and workshops that can be emotionally taxing, but rewarding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou get a lot of empowering information and validation from the group \u2014 it\u2019s a bunch of other people feeling the same way who want to learn more and see change happen,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new student group, People Against Unwanted Sexual Experiences (PAUSE), is seeking approval as a chartered student organization on campus. This group will also be focused on preventing sexual violence and raising awareness of the issue on campus and is a good way for students to learn more and get involved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past year, Miles has seen the climate on campus change drastically on this issue. When she started getting involved last year, she felt they were trying to get others to care about the issue; now, people are looking to them as experts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe most important thing is to try to understand what\u2019s happening on campus and what leads to the culture that permits sexual violence,\u201d said Miles. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t have time to get involved on a larger scale, trying to change small things in your own way is going to make a difference.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose interested in getting involved in any of these opportunities can contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:voice@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E to learn more.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003ESupporting Survivors\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose with friends, colleagues, or students who have experienced sexual violence should encourage them to contact the Women\u2019s Resource Center, Dean of Students Office, Health Promotion, or Georgia Tech Police Department, all of which are equipped to provide assistance and support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFaculty and staff members are required to report sexual assaults to Georgia Tech\u2019s Title IX coordinator and can do so through the Confidential Reporting Form (CRF) found online at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019d recommend letting the student know that you have an obligation to report the violence, so that they are aware that someone from the Institute will follow up with them to make sure they know their options and are connected to resources for personal and academic support,\u201d DeMaeyer said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2013, many faculty and staff received the Georgia Tech Sexual Violence Response Guide, or \u201cGold Folder,\u201d in 2013, which also contained the CRF. The folder is designed to equip Tech employees with information on how to assist in the event that a student discloses an incidence of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, or stalking. The folder\u2019s contents are also available at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf a student reports sexual violence, the first thing they should be advised to do is seek a safe place.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAfter that, they may want to consider seeking medical treatment or reporting the violence,\u201d said DeMaeyer. \u201cLong term, seeking out supportive resources like counseling or academic support, if they are a student, could be beneficial.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs sexual assault on college campuses continues to be in the national spotlight, Georgia Tech is working to enhance survivor support programs, campus resources, and prevention initiatives to make Tech a safer place for all students.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As sexual assault on college campuses continues to be in the national spotlight, Georgia Tech is working to enhance survivor support programs, campus resources, and prevention initiatives to make Tech a safer place for all students."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-11-24 09:43:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:34","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"348631":{"id":"348631","type":"image","title":"VOICE logo","body":null,"created":"1449245682","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:14:42","changed":"1475895071","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:11","alt":"VOICE logo","file":{"fid":"200992","name":"voice_logo_updated.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/voice_logo_updated.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/voice_logo_updated.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":773013,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/voice_logo_updated.jpg?itok=G6HltZye"}}},"media_ids":["348631"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\/","title":"The VOICE Initiative"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"167787","name":"sexual assault"},{"id":"167691","name":"sexual violence"},{"id":"171137","name":"Sexual Violence Task Force"},{"id":"171391","name":"SVTF"},{"id":"4968","name":"VOICE"},{"id":"4786","name":"women\u0027s resource center"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:voice@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Evoice@gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}