2008 Woodie Awards
Sexual assault prevention coordinator pushes for more peer education
Ben Garbarek
Issue date: 8/21/07 Section: Campus
Miami University has hired a new staff member in an effort to move toward stopping sexual assaults in Oxford.
After a report analyzing how to raise awareness and change attitudes toward sexual violence at Miami was released in December 2006, Miami University's sexual assault committee hired Nicole Hall to work in the Student Health Services as a part-time coordinator for sexual assault prevention.
"Miami sees a need (for sexual assault prevention)," Hall said, "and they're fulfilling it with me."
Richard Nault, vice president for student affairs, sees this as a step in the right direction.
"It's important advance for the university," said Nault, "She'll be a terrific staff member for students."
Hall will serve as the new coordinator of the sexual assault prevention and response program. Hall said that one of her main goals with her new job would be to create a female equivalent to MARS, Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault.
"It's important to do peer education programs and get people to be a part of a group on campus," she said.
MARS began in 2001 to address rape as a men's issue. In this group, male students meet to discuss how men can make a difference in preventing sexual assaults.
"It's real powerful when students can talk to other students," Hall said.
Eric Syverson, president of MARS, is excited for Hall to come to campus and believes this kind of administration position at Miami will be extremely useful for both his organization and the university as a whole.
"It's a great thing for the university," he said. "(MARS) went to a national conference last year and a lot of other schools have (an administration position) like this and it's been successful for them. … Not a lot of people want to sit down voluntarily for some of these programs and if the university makes these things a requirement it would help out a lot."
Syverson added that he hopes Hall increases communication and collaboration among student organizations.
In addition to this new sexual assault support group, Hall is looking to update the brochures and Web site currently available to students.
Sarah Marcus, a recent Miami graduate, created a Media Guide to Reporting Sexual Assault for her honors thesis and has worked with multiple people on campus to become aware of Miami's system for handling and reporting cases of sexual assault.
"I think it's a really positive step forward that Miami is admitting there is huge problem," Marcus said. "It is hopeful that they are willing to take the first steps to avoid another catastrophic (incident)."
Marcus was excited that there was a new faculty position hired solely for the purpose of sexual assault prevention.
Originally one of the primary goals of the committee was to develop a user-friendly Web site for students. Christopher Hill, a recent Miami graduate, developed the initial site-available at www.muohio.edu/sexualassault-for the Women's Center.
"(The Web site) consolidates and compiles resources for male and female students to raise awareness and provide more resources," Hill said.
According to Hill, the Web site has three main components: awareness, resistance and prevention, and coping with an assault. He began working in February and launched the new Web site at the end of the past spring semester.
Hall said she is looking to make additional updates to the Web site, primarily centralizing the information and resources already available to students.
"It's a huge goal to centralize the information," Hall said. "We want one place they can go to so it doesn't confuse them."
Hall said that one of the other large responsibilities of her job is to be a go-to person who is easily accessible for students trying to handle an assault. She said there are a large variety of resources available for students that can be confusing without help.
Hall will also be making presentations for faculty and staff about sexual assault prevention. In two weeks she will be speaking in front of the aerospace minor program faculty upon their request and is open to giving presentations to any other group as well.
Starting the 2008-09 school year, Hall also said she is hoping to create training programs for those in the Miami community, but has no further details on her plans.
Hall received her master's degree from Xavier this spring and has seven years of experience in sexual assault prevention.
Nault said that since the position is part time, the university received fewer applications than normal, but despite this they were pleased with the applicant pool.
Additional reporting provided by Stacey Skotzko.
After a report analyzing how to raise awareness and change attitudes toward sexual violence at Miami was released in December 2006, Miami University's sexual assault committee hired Nicole Hall to work in the Student Health Services as a part-time coordinator for sexual assault prevention.
"Miami sees a need (for sexual assault prevention)," Hall said, "and they're fulfilling it with me."
Richard Nault, vice president for student affairs, sees this as a step in the right direction.
"It's important advance for the university," said Nault, "She'll be a terrific staff member for students."
Hall will serve as the new coordinator of the sexual assault prevention and response program. Hall said that one of her main goals with her new job would be to create a female equivalent to MARS, Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault.
"It's important to do peer education programs and get people to be a part of a group on campus," she said.
MARS began in 2001 to address rape as a men's issue. In this group, male students meet to discuss how men can make a difference in preventing sexual assaults.
"It's real powerful when students can talk to other students," Hall said.
Eric Syverson, president of MARS, is excited for Hall to come to campus and believes this kind of administration position at Miami will be extremely useful for both his organization and the university as a whole.
"It's a great thing for the university," he said. "(MARS) went to a national conference last year and a lot of other schools have (an administration position) like this and it's been successful for them. … Not a lot of people want to sit down voluntarily for some of these programs and if the university makes these things a requirement it would help out a lot."
Syverson added that he hopes Hall increases communication and collaboration among student organizations.
In addition to this new sexual assault support group, Hall is looking to update the brochures and Web site currently available to students.
Sarah Marcus, a recent Miami graduate, created a Media Guide to Reporting Sexual Assault for her honors thesis and has worked with multiple people on campus to become aware of Miami's system for handling and reporting cases of sexual assault.
"I think it's a really positive step forward that Miami is admitting there is huge problem," Marcus said. "It is hopeful that they are willing to take the first steps to avoid another catastrophic (incident)."
Marcus was excited that there was a new faculty position hired solely for the purpose of sexual assault prevention.
Originally one of the primary goals of the committee was to develop a user-friendly Web site for students. Christopher Hill, a recent Miami graduate, developed the initial site-available at www.muohio.edu/sexualassault-for the Women's Center.
"(The Web site) consolidates and compiles resources for male and female students to raise awareness and provide more resources," Hill said.
According to Hill, the Web site has three main components: awareness, resistance and prevention, and coping with an assault. He began working in February and launched the new Web site at the end of the past spring semester.
Hall said she is looking to make additional updates to the Web site, primarily centralizing the information and resources already available to students.
"It's a huge goal to centralize the information," Hall said. "We want one place they can go to so it doesn't confuse them."
Hall said that one of the other large responsibilities of her job is to be a go-to person who is easily accessible for students trying to handle an assault. She said there are a large variety of resources available for students that can be confusing without help.
Hall will also be making presentations for faculty and staff about sexual assault prevention. In two weeks she will be speaking in front of the aerospace minor program faculty upon their request and is open to giving presentations to any other group as well.
Starting the 2008-09 school year, Hall also said she is hoping to create training programs for those in the Miami community, but has no further details on her plans.
Hall received her master's degree from Xavier this spring and has seven years of experience in sexual assault prevention.
Nault said that since the position is part time, the university received fewer applications than normal, but despite this they were pleased with the applicant pool.
Additional reporting provided by Stacey Skotzko.
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