Proposal:
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In the current New Faculty/Staff Orientation, the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program (SARPP) has no representation. This program is extremely important to our campus, and helps students and staff cope with and prevent instances of sexual abuse and relationship violence. Since the program is not introduced to the faculty and staff at the university, they are unable to refer students in need to SARPP, and don't know they can access it for themselves.
We propose that the New Faculty/Staff Orientation include a fifteen-minute time slot for SARPP to give a presentation that would explain the services it provides. This is important for several reasons. Firstly, an overall lack of faculty and staff awareness of the program prevents SARPP from reaching potential clientele. If these victims go untreated, there can be devastating psychological and physical consequences. Additionally, it results in fewer requests for educational presentations from faculty, leading to fewer students receiving the information. Lastly, failure by the university to respond to instances of interpersonal violence in an effective manner can have drastic legal penalties. The school could receive major fines or even lose federal funding. If the faculty and staff are well informed, this outcome is much less likely. |