Staff and Faculty,

Over the past several weeks the issue of sexual assault has been at the forefront of the national dialogue.  For many in our community, especially those who have survived sexualized violence, this is a challenging time.  We have witnessed the tremendous courage of survivors from across the country as they speak out about violence they have endured.  And we have witnessed attempts to silence survivors through mockery and misguided questions and assertions. 

At HSU the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee is working to end sexualized violence, to support survivors, and to create a culture where people are held accountable for acts of harm.  We know that the harm most often comes from people we know.  We understand that many survivors stay silent for years or even decades.  And we honor the choices of survivors to chart their paths of survivorship, deciding for themselves when, to whom, and for what purpose they share their experiences of harm. 

Staff and faculty have options for support: 

• The Campus Advocate Team 707.445.2881 (provided by North Coast Rape Crisis Team) has a 24-hour crisis line and can offer in-person, on or off-campus confidential counseling, advocacy and support for staff, faculty and students, as well as information about options for accountability through Title IX or the criminal/legal system. 
• Humboldt Domestic Violence Services 707.443.6042 has a 24-hour crisis line and services for survivors. 
• Counseling & Psychological Services 707.826.3236 offers on-campus appointments and a 24-hour crisis line for students. 

Options for accountability are available through:

• Title IX, Marcus Winder Title IX Coordinator and DHR administrator 707.826.3385
• UPD 707.826.5555, including options for anonymous and confidential reports.

While we have much work to do to end the harm within our campus community, we can all play a part. First and foremost we need to commit to interacting with each other through principles of respect, and we need to be accountable for our actions.

Together we can work to change the culture of our community.  Options for this year include getting involved with CHECK IT (contact mss62@humboldt.edu), attending the Consent Project (October 16, 6pm, KBR, contact: alb153@humboldt.edu) and attending Take Back the Night (April 12th, 2019). 

Finally, we can make sure we know how to center the needs and choices of survivors in our community.  Because being survivor-centered takes education and intentionality, we request that you download and review the revised “Best Practices for Implementing Title IX”: http://www2.humboldt.edu/titleix/content/resources-faculty-and-staff.  The three most important points are 1) before a student discloses, make sure they know you have a responsibility to report* incidents of sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence to our campus Title IX Administrator; 2) act as a bridge to resources for survivors by referring them to the Campus Advocate Team; 3) remember your role is not to be an investigator (that is the work of the Title IX investigator and/or the police); by making the choice to listen to, believe and support survivors you can play an important role in their healing journey.  If for whatever reason you cannot listen compassionately, do let the survivor know that they deserve support and refer them to the Campus Advocate Team. 

Please also consider attending a training for staff and faculty titled “Best Practices in Responding to Incidents of Sexualized Violence” on November 15th from 3 - 4:30 p.m. in Goodwin Forum, Nelson Hall East 102.

On behalf of the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee (SAPC),
Kim Berry and Maxwell Schnurer, SAPC co-chairs

*CAPS Counselors and a few key staff members in Health Education and Violence Prevention are not required to report incidents of harm, except in cases of imminent threat to the broader campus community.