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I recently had the opportunity to
provide two full days of sexual assault investigation training
at Auburn University in Alabama. The university sponsored the
training, and the group was convened at the invitation of Paula
Carnahan MA, MBA, Services and Training Coordinator for the
university-based
Safe
Harbor Women's Center
What particularly struck me about my experience at Auburn was
that the audience was comprised of not only University
personnel, but also key members of the local community,
including municipal and county law enforcement, medical
personnel and the rape crisis community. Based on the
multi-disciplinary representation of the audience, it was
obvious to me as the presenter that this community is already
putting in a concerted effort to work together. In my
experience, Auburn is more the exception than the rule.
Although I have seen a lot of college campuses struggling to
create policies and procedures to deal with sexual assault and
harassment on campus, many have created systems closed to those
outside the campus community. Many students I've talked to feel
this mechanism only facilitates the tendency to hide sexual
assault on college campuses.
Auburn University has clearly taken a leadership role and has
been instrumental in creating a county-wide Sexual Assault
Response Team, (SART) including obtaining the equipment needed
to conduct the forensic examination. The training felt more
productive from my perspective, because the collaborative was
already in place, rather than being forced upon the group.
Paula's work and the administrators of the University are
commended for creating a true collaborative involving all
members of the local community.
In the course of my travels, I have been searching for a leader
among the institutional sexual assault groups, and clearly
Auburn is one of them. I encourage others to draw on Auburn's
model, and to contact Paula to find out how this might work in
your own community. Certainly there is no single formula or
magic bullet to create a successful collaboration. Personality
differences and preceding organizational history are only two
obstacles one might face. But when you consider the improved
services victims receive as a result of a strong collaborative
model, it is imperative that we find ways to overcome those
obstacles. Paula is reachable at
carnapa@groupwise1.duc.auburn.edu or by phone at
334/844-5123. |
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