Boston University President Robert Brown revealed the creation of a sexual assault prevention and response center Monday in an email sent to the BU community.
“I am writing to announce that we are establishing a center that will be specifically dedicated to preventing sexual assault through training and outreach, and to providing support to victims of sexual assault as well as other forms of abuse, such as hazing,” the letter said.
The center should be open on campus by the start of the 2012-13 school year, according to the email. Student Health Services will direct the center, though the facility will be housed in a separate location.
“We are already working on initial plans for staffing the center and determining an appropriate campus location,” Brown stated in the letter.
Brown cited the incidents of alleged sexual assault and alleged hazing that have occurred at BU over the past four months. These include the arrests of two hockey players, Corey Trivino and Max Nicastro, and separate alleged hazing incidents involving the sorority Sigma Delta Tau and the unaffiliated and now-closed fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi.
“[We are committed to ensuring] that we have the appropriate means in place both to reduce the likelihood of such events and to provide strong support to those affected when, despite our best efforts, such events occur,” Brown said in the email.
There have been a number of demands from the BU community that such a center be created on campus. The Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism circulated a petition last month to establish a crisis center to prevent sexual assault, provide support for victims and raise awareness about sex-related issues.
“A rape crisis center would help Boston University to better serve its students by providing them with tools to prevent and cope with sexual assault crises and to lead the way in providing a safe and healthy environment for all members of the Boston University community,” the petition states.
More than 1,000 people signed the petition, which was sent to the BU administration.
Beyond sexual assault, Brown’s letter said new measures will be taken next year to increase awareness about alcohol abuse and sexual assault based on the “bystander education” program used during orientation last summer.
“The aim of this bystander education is to increase awareness of excessive alcohol use and sexual assault and to encourage individuals to intervene in thoughtful, effective ways to prevent and discourage inappropriate behavior,” according to the letter.
All officers of student organizations will be required to undergo bystander education in order to receive Student Allocation Board funding, according to the letter.
“I believe that the vitality of our community depends on individual actions and the responsibility we take for ourselves and for others,” Brown said in the email. “Boston University can learn from what we have experienced this spring and become a better community for living and learning.”
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