Some Boston University students expressed support for a recently petitioned on-campus Rape Crisis Center.
The Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism created a petition Monday to establish a rape crisis center on campus. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition has garnered more than 500 signatures since going live on Monday.
The petition states the center would include paid employees for counseling and preventive work, and a budget to do outreach on campus and education programming for students and staff.
College of Arts and Sciences freshman Rea Sawan, a CGSA member, said a rape crisis center on campus is essential.
“We’re all on the same team,” Sawan said. “We honestly want everyone at BU to be safe and not experience sexual assault, which is something that happens to every one in five college women. It is important for people to identify that this is a danger in our society.”
Gina Scaramella, executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, said she supports the CGSA looking into campus needs in terms of sexual assault.
“It’s great that they’re thinking about what their campus needs,” she said. “I think taking the time to look at all the different kinds of models and the pluses and minuses for each, and what sort of resources and assets exist around BU and in BU . . . is a great way to go.”
Victims of sexual assault can go to the crisis hotline, one of the main resources available on BU’s campus.
However, CAS junior Kristy Alaura said she called the hotline in the past with no avail.
“Even if you’re not calling about rape, it’s still confusing and takes you in circles,” she said.
Alaura said she fully supports of the establishment of a rape crisis center on campus.
“If we’re not completely comfortable going to the police first, there needs to be something else,” she said. “There definitely needs to be a place where we feel comfortable going and where there are people there to help us and take us down the right avenues.”
Scaramella said while a crisis center could be useful, having a campus-based center could affect victim’s privacy.
“Survivors need help navigating the systems on campus, understanding how to make sure their rights are upheld, etc.,” she said. “A campus-based program could do those things really well, but the service part of [crisis counseling] is the hardest to provide with the privacy of the survivor in mind.”
The establishment of an on-campus center could also be redundant since BARCC is located at 989 Commonwealth Ave., near BU’s campus, Scaramella said.
Eun Kyung Park, a College of Communication freshman, said a rape crisis center on campus would be a good thing.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” she said. “With all the things that are happening on campus, why not act to prevent it and protect people rather than not do anything at all?”
Mike Cianciotta, a College of General Studies freshman, said the establishment of a rape crisis center on campus may be an overreaction to the assault cases involving hockey players.
“It shouldn’t be established just because a couple of high-profile athletes got in trouble for stories in which no one really knows what happened,” Cianciotta said.
He added, “I guess it depends on the actual statistics of rape on campus, but there should be somewhere victims can go to that is always available and well functioning.”
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