Yesterday we learned that the campus coordinator position provided by SASS will be terminated by the university. We have sent the following letter to the President and Provost, requesting information concerning the decision-making process behind this disturbing and perplexing decision. We are sharing that letter here:
Dear President Gottfredson and Provost Coltrane,
It was with great concern that we learned that the campus coordinator position provided by Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) will be terminated.
SASS has for many years served as an important source of support and information for sexually assaulted and harassed students on this campus. With the new mandatory reporting requirements, a confidential source of support and information is even more important; assaulted individuals often need confidentiality as part of the recovery and reporting process after an assault. Further, as the victims of sexual assault are predominantly women, providing a confidential source of support to assaulted women is a crucial aspect of ensuring equality between women and men on this campus, an important stipulation of Title IX.
We would like to know why this decision was made, particularly at a moment when the need for these services has been made so public and evident in incidents at institutions of higher education around the country. Could you please share with us the reasons for terminating this longstanding partnership by Monday, 3/17/14, in advance of the UO Coalition to End Sexual Violence’s next meeting?
Sincerely,
UO Coalition to End Sexual Violence 