College Does Offer Varied Services for Rape Victims

Author: Ann Hanson, Dean of Student Affairs

There have been many letters and opinion pieces appearing in The Campus in the past two weeks that have focused on sexual assault or rape at Middlebury. I welcome this dialogue. The issue of rape is serious, and ending this type of violence will require the awareness and involvement of our entire community. Both men and women are its direct victims. I want to assure the community that "the administration" is not interested in covering up the reality of rape. It happens, it happens here, and we are committed to working to prevent rape and assist survivors.

I encourage our exploration of these important issues, but I want the information that informs our discussion to be accurate. I am concerned that some of the information contained in The Campus or posted on bulletin boards has not been correct, and I write to clearly articulate our administrative philosophy, our data collection process and our support services.

Because control has been taken away from a rape survivor, the College's goal in providing services and information is to try to assist her or him in taking back some of that control. This involves offering a wide range of medical, psychological and judicial options for survivors to choose from and respecting their choice to use all, any or none of those options.

It is true that most students who utilize support services in the aftermath of rape or sexual assault are not represented in formal statistical reports. Survivors are coping with a range of intense feelings and may choose to keep the assault private or talk confidentially with a professional staff person. In addition to on-campus services, members of our community are informed of and are encouraged to use town resources such as WomanSafe if they choose. These local service providers do not report the number of students who have used their services to the College. Furthermore, when students have discussions with counselors, medical staff or chaplains, their confidentiality is protected by law. As a result, when students use these services, this information is not communicated to the Office of Public Safety without the student's expressed and clear consent and does not appear in statistical reports. We want to ensure that students do not need to sacrifice confidentiality or privacy in order to receive assistance.

I want students to know that help is available on campus and in the larger Middlebury community and that students may utilize the services that they believe will best meet their needs. Asking for help from a commons dean, residential life staff member or member of the Dean of Student Affairs staff does not require a survivor to take any further action. Commons deans can arrange for extensions on academic work, connect students with medical and psychological care on or off campus and explain legal and campus judicial options. Members of the Counseling staff are available for immediate and long-term support services, as is the Health Center staff. The Office of Public Safety assists with individual and campus-wide safety concerns, and the Dean of Student Affairs staff and Chaplain's Office all are available for assistance and support. We do encourage students to seek medical and psychological support and to report the assault; however, we respect the survivor's right to make her or his own decisions.

While survivors' services are essential, rape awareness and prevention efforts are equally, if not more important. We want to encourage our students, staff and faculty to break the silence and for us all to work as a community to address the issue of rape. The Office of Health Education publishes information that goes to each student every year regarding sexual assault. Informational posters are displayed throughout campus and speakers and workshops on this subject are a regular part of our programming every year. Chellis House offers a wide range of speakers and programs that address issues of gender and power, as do many other academic departments.

For a complete listing of services and reporting processes, I encourage you to visit the Office of Health and Wellness Education's Web site www.middlebury.edu/~healthed/ (on the Web site under Student Resources).

I hope we can continue to address these important issues as a community. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns about our policies.