Despite previous concerns over funding for the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program, the university is ensuring that OUSAP will still be funded through a different source, Laura Myers, chief of staff to the provost, said in an email.
The program will receive $90,000 in funding from the university's budget and a part of the general operating fund within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Shari Clarke, vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion, said in an email.
Starting in October, the university will fund OUSAP in the total amount that was requested in fall 2014 by Clarke, former Women's Center Director Susanne Dietzel and Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit.
Launched in July 2010, OUSAP is being funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, but the grant is set to expire next month.
The mission of OUSAP is “to create a safe campus where victims and survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence are thoroughly respected and supported,” according to its website. OUSAP provides confidential advocacy and support for OU students, along with a 24/7 crisis line during the fall and spring semesters.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="860e4200-5da3-11e5-a2e4-5b69acc34ac0"}}
The Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program will also have a larger staff starting Oct. 1. The program will go from having one part-time employee to four full-time employees and one part-time employee, Alicia Chavira-Prado, special assistant to Clarke, said in an email.
The staff currently also employs two graduate assistants, one PACE student and many peer advocates. Starting in October it will also include an intern, six student employees and more than 10 active volunteers, she said.
“As part of the budgeting process, Dr. Dietzel, who was then the supervisor of SAP’s Program Coordinator, proposed permanent funding for SAP that would begin in October 2015 when the program’s existing federal grant was set to expire,” Myers said in an email.
The proposal was given to Clarke, Dietzel’s supervisor, in the fall of 2014, Myers said. Clarke included the request for SAP funding with other budget proposals within the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. The request was submitted to Benoit in late 2014.
“Benoit included a request for SAP base funding along with all other proposals in her academic and academic support units,” Myers said in an email. “The final step was for these requests to be considered along with all other university requests."
OU’s final university budget decisions were not finalized until July because Ohio's biennial state budget wasn't completed until June, Myers said in an email.
“(OUSAP funding) is important because OUSAP is not like any of the other sexual safety group on campus," Sasha Gough, a sophomore studying creative writing and F--kRapeCulture member, said in an email. "They take things at the survivor/victims pace and give them helpful advice. They don't force anyone to handle things in a way that they're not comfortable with."
Gough said in an email she was concerned about the funding running out, “but not wholeheartedly.”
“While it may not be a priority for the administration to have properly trained people to handle sexual violence, they did recognize that it was important,” Gough said in an email. “I was hopeful that they would have planned for something if it didn’t go through.”
Chavira-Pardo said in an email that OUSAP now reports to her.
“This change in reporting structure accompanies the relocation of SAP in an effort to increase its visibility and identification with the rest of Ohio’s campus and make other campus resources and services more accessible to the SAP clients,” Chavira-Prado said in an email.
The Women’s Center refers people to OUSAP who need its services or have questions related to sexual and power-based violence, Sarah Jenkins, program coordinator for the Women's Center, said in an email.
Last August, Clarke authorized an additional $19,800 to fund the “Not Anymore” training program, which is also funded through the university budget process and is part of the general operating fund within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Myers said in an email.
The goal of “Not Anymore” is to inform incoming freshmen about sexual assault and prevention, Myers said in an email.
Also, Lindley Hall now houses OUSAP, after making the move from the McKee House in August, according to a previous Post report.
The Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, which receives reports and complaints of sexual misconduct for all OU campuses, moved into the office suite next to OUSAP in July, according to an op-ed published in The Post written by Benoit and Clarke on Sept. 16.
The OUSAP's services are open to all students, regardless of gender identities.
“Because interpersonal violence affects a significant number of college students, it’s important they receive the support that they deserve,” Myers said in an email. “Our program also plays a vital role in educating the campus community and creating a culture of survivor support.”
OUSAP is also a key part of OU’s overall response to allegations of sexual assault and rape, Myers said in an email.
“OUSAP provides an outlet for survivors to connect with resources that will assist them in understanding and navigating the administrative and criminal processes associated with formally reporting a sexual assault or rape to Ohio University or the police,” Myers said in an email.
@megankhenry
