In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter, urging colleges and universities to better investigate and address cases of sexual assault.  The letter invoked Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at schools that receive federal aid.  It did this to threaten institutions that were not responding appropriately to claims of assault.

Since the Dear Colleague letter, influential politicians like former Vice President Joe Biden have been particularly focused on the issue, but Saint Anselm College is taking its own steps to increase awareness and combat sexual assault on campuses.

The Saint A’s Assault and Violence Education and Reporting Team, otherwise known as AVERT, consists of students, faculty, and staff and is committed to providing “ongoing prevention and awareness education related to sexual assault”, according to the college website.  Dean of Students Alicia Finn and Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Pat Shuster co-chair the group.

AVERT has sponsored a number of events on campus since its inception in 2014, including the “Enough is Enough” week in November and the “Walk a Mile” event last fall.  AVERT’s most recent event took place on Feb. 24 in the form of a panel discussion.

Panelists for the event included Dr. Kallock, Abbot Matthew Leavy O.S.B., Dr. Maria McKenna from Psychology, Dr. Kaitlyn Clark from Criminal Justice, Assistant Director of the Academic Resource Center Ben Horton and Karen Ejiofor ’16.

The six panelists took time during the event to discuss diversity, what it means to be Anselmian, and the importance of respect in preventing sexual assault and helping victims when it happens to them.

Dr. Kallock teaches Conversatio and is an alumna, but she is also a victim of sexual assault.  She emphasized the importance of understanding and learning how to help a loved one cope with such traumatic experiences.  She reflected that while she was trying to recover, people who loved her “didn’t have the vocabulary to help.”

Abbot Matthew shared the quote, “if you don’t learn how to transform your pain, you will most assuredly transmit it” and stressed that we should all strive towards being Anselmian “even if we don’t do it perfectly.”

Horton, who is an alumnus and the assistant director of the ARC, remarked that there are people “doing good here on this campus when no one else is looking,” and that everyone should “try to carry that idea in your life.”

Ejiofor, who graduated only last year, reflected that being Anselmian is all about respect, and about “speaking up when no one else will.”  She also said that she has seen people try to carry on their Anselmian values into the real world since graduating.
The planning committee for the panel discussion included Dr. Destiny Brady and Dr. Laurie Bennett from Nursing, Dr. Chris Bruell and Dr. Elaine Rizzo from Criminal Justice, Dr. Sara Kallock from Humanities, and Brianna Berge ‘17.

Berge, the only current student on the planning committee, could not be reached for comment.

Dr. Brady told Crier staff that one of AVERT’s sub-committees has been compiling the names of sexual assault nurse practitioners, trauma counselors, therapists, and researchers who can be called on to bring “more awareness and understanding to these difficult topics.”

She also shared that the college recently received a grant to expand AVERT’s services, programming, and training.  Students are welcome to join the planning committee and can contact the Dean of Students’ office if they are interested in doing so.

Students can also attend AVERT’s upcoming events on March 21 and March 22, called the “‘It’s Really on Us!’ talk” and “Cupcakes and Conversation,” respectively.  Resources and materials regarding sexual assault can be found on the college website under the Campus Safety and Security tab or by googling “Anselmians AVERT”.