Spring Break
The Daily OrangeCenter name change sparks campus debate
Students, faculty discuss new title of R.A.P.E. center
By Nicole Loring
Posted: 4/2/08, 12:15 AM EST Section: News
Students began to voice concerns after they discovered the center for Rape; Advocacy, Prevention, Education (R.A.P.E.) changed its name to the Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS).
"What was inflicted on victims of sexual assault was not their fault in the least," said Ben Bradley, a member of A Men's Issue, a male student group with the professed vision of moving toward a society that embraces gender equity and is free from sexual violence.
"This name change means that survivors will not seek the support they need," he said. "This will lead to incidences of rape on campus being underreported, which will further silence the issue."
An information and dialogue session to discuss the name change was hosted Tuesday night by A Men's Issue.
Sarah Mart, director of the Office of Prevention Services (OPS), justified the decision as an attempt to make the center more inviting.
"The name change was an attempt to be inclusive and reach as many survivors as possible," Mart said. "I heard a lot of comments from students to the tune of, 'I didn't go to the rape center because I didn't know if I had been raped.' It didn't seem welcoming."
The name change was announced in a news release on Feb. 20.
Collin Capano, Sacchi Patel and Bradley, members of A Men's Issue, presented information the group had gathered about recent changes made involving the OPS.
"Removing the title of R.A.P.E. shifts the focus away from the seriousness of rape on the campus," Patel said. "Twenty percent of the population will experience an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime - 17 percent women, 3 percent men."
Students and administrators also talked about the consolidation of the R.A.P.E. Center and the Options program, which is intended to help drug and alcohol abusers with one program in the OPS. This change was made without consulting students or student groups on campus.
The Options program recently laid off of two out of three "prevention specialists," which was also of concern to students.
"What was inflicted on victims of sexual assault was not their fault in the least," said Ben Bradley, a member of A Men's Issue, a male student group with the professed vision of moving toward a society that embraces gender equity and is free from sexual violence.
"This name change means that survivors will not seek the support they need," he said. "This will lead to incidences of rape on campus being underreported, which will further silence the issue."
An information and dialogue session to discuss the name change was hosted Tuesday night by A Men's Issue.
Sarah Mart, director of the Office of Prevention Services (OPS), justified the decision as an attempt to make the center more inviting.
"The name change was an attempt to be inclusive and reach as many survivors as possible," Mart said. "I heard a lot of comments from students to the tune of, 'I didn't go to the rape center because I didn't know if I had been raped.' It didn't seem welcoming."
The name change was announced in a news release on Feb. 20.
Collin Capano, Sacchi Patel and Bradley, members of A Men's Issue, presented information the group had gathered about recent changes made involving the OPS.
"Removing the title of R.A.P.E. shifts the focus away from the seriousness of rape on the campus," Patel said. "Twenty percent of the population will experience an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime - 17 percent women, 3 percent men."
Students and administrators also talked about the consolidation of the R.A.P.E. Center and the Options program, which is intended to help drug and alcohol abusers with one program in the OPS. This change was made without consulting students or student groups on campus.
The Options program recently laid off of two out of three "prevention specialists," which was also of concern to students.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
Joe Smith
posted 4/02/08 @ 8:30 AM EST
This is what's wrong with this country. How is this even an issue? Some people have too much time on their hands. Call it whatever you want, all that matters is that such a place exists for victims to seek help. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 4/02/08 @ 8:35 AM EST
I second "Joe's" comments... get a life and start doing things that might actually affect the rate of rapes in this country.
Jeff
posted 4/02/08 @ 11:46 AM EST
Mike and Joe (and to a certain extent, the DO article) are missing the point. The issue isn't the name change (from R.A.P.E. Center to Sexual Assault Support Services). (Continued…)
DAJ
posted 4/02/08 @ 2:27 PM EST
As, I assume, the only female and sexual assault survivor commenting on this, I would like to say that no matter what the name is, people are always going to be deterred from going to the center. (Continued…)
Erin
posted 4/02/08 @ 10:38 PM EST
Regardless of the name change, I think the more important issue at hand is that there used to be 3 counselors available for students to go to for help and talk to, and now 2 of those positions have been cut, leaving only one counselor. (Continued…)
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