April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Sexual violence affects millions of people every year. Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. SUNY Empire State College has policies and procedures designed to support victims of sexual violence while attending the college. The college has a Title IX coordinator who is here to support all individuals through these processes and to connect individuals with campus and community resources. This month, we have partnered with the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault to provide a series of trainings to help you to learn more:

 

Wednesday, April 13, 7 to 8 p.m. ET: Supporting a Survivor of Sexual Assault

The statistics are harrowing—1 in 4 college-aged women will have experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault by the time they graduate from college. In addition to these statistics, COVID-19 creates new barriers for supporting survivors. This workshop will discuss how to be the best support to a friend who may have experienced sexual violence. The workshop will include “dos and don’ts,” vignette analyses, and a list of helpful resources to have on hand if a friend ends up disclosing to you at some point.

Monday, April 18, 2 to 3 p.m. ET: Sexual Violence 101: International Students

SV101 will cover the most basic information on what sexual violence is with a specific lens for international students. This presentation will cover terminology, statistics of sexual violence, the impacts of sexual violence, and some aspects of consent. This workshop is for people who are interested in obtaining a baseline of understanding what counts as sexual violence (from unwanted verbal comments to physically violent attacks) and how prevalent it is within our society. This version includes discussion points around gender and sexuality from different cultures as well as specific barriers facing international students and resources that can help.

 

Thursday, April 21, 7 to 8 p.m. ET: Recognizing the Signs of Domestic Violence

COVID-19 has created new and challenging barriers for survivors and victims of gender-based violence. This workshop will provide participants with strategies to support someone in a domestic violence situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss safety planning, the signs of intimate partner violence (IPV), and local and national resources that can help.

 

Wednesday, April 27, 7-8 p.m. ET: Swipe Left of Dating (app) Violence!

With the rise of technology, there are now new ways to abuse the power of the anonymous internet to hurt others. This is something that our students may be experiencing and/or witnessing in their everyday lives. As administrators, we often make the mistake of diminishing just how important and inseparable technology is from the everyday norms of our students. Our current college students have grown up playing games on iPads and have no idea what a floppy disc looks like. This workshop will examine the ways in which technology allows one person to hurt another electronically. It will help give a frame of reference when working with young survivors of sexual and dating violence and also offer some online risk-reduction techniques.

 

Please check SUNY Empire Connects for the links to these virtual trainings.