« New org aims to shatter current stigmas surrounding mental illness | Main | Professor suffers brain aneurism; Forte listed in critical condtion »
November 08, 2005
Forum addresses sexual education concerns
A sexual assault open forum was held last Thursday to address several rumors of sexual assault on campus. The Women’s Resource Center, Dean of Students Alan Sickbert, Director of Residential Life Patti Klein, and Nurse Barb Bester were all present.
After a brief introduction from the Women’s Resource Center, who co-sponsored the event in addition to the Office of the Dean of Students and Counseling and Health Services, the speech was turned over to Sickbert, who said his role at the forum was to clarify what students were saying regarding sexual assault.
He went on to speak about the confusion and concern that has recently been raised among students in response to the Oracle’s “Under the Covers” column. Sickbert reminded students that this column is for both entertainment and educational purposes, and the questions are not always real.
Sickbert also brought up an article from the Oracle’s October 25 issue titled “Sexual Assault Hits Home.”
This story is true, and Sickbert reassured students that the victim will be supported in getting any help she needs.
Once Sickbert finished, Patti Klein took the floor. Klein said sexual assault can happen to anyone, and it happens here. She continued, saying that Hamline’s statistics claim that only one incident of rape has happened in the past two years, “when everybody in this room knows it was more than that.”
Klein went through a draft of the new Sexual Misconduct Prohibition and Policy for all Students. The new draft defines some terminology surrounding the issue of sexual violence, the policy against sexual assault, how to report sexual assault, the options someone has after reporting the incident to Hamline, what someone can expect when a report is filed, and the resources Hamline has available to assist victims of sexual assault. As alcohol was mentioned, she said, “Alcohol and drugs are no excuse for behavior.” She added that in her fifteen years of work, she has never encountered a case of sexual assault where alcohol wasn’t involved.
Another resource mentioned was the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) Program at Regions hospital. This program offers the victims of sexual assault transportation to the hospital, immediate attention, and the chance to work with the St. Paul police in a safe environment. Ramsey County pays for this service; it is free for anyone to utilize.
For more information, contact the Women’s Resource Center at wrc@hamline.edu.
Posted by msveum at November 8, 2005 12:01 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)