Sexual Assault Fair

Example of a safety kit against stalkers shown at the fair.
Photo Courtesy of Anastasiia Vorobeva\

On March 27, Concord University hosted the Sexual Assault Awareness Fair where several organizations got a chance to answer students and staff members’ questions. Among the organizations present were the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Response Team (S.A.R.T.), Students for Campus Safety Awareness, Family Refuge Center, and Legal Aid of West Virginia. 

    Amanda Buchanan represented Family Refuge Center located in Princeton, W.Va., which provides sexual assault advocacy. She points out that the rate of sexual assault is very high on campuses; in fact, about 25 percent of women have or will be sexually assaulted on college campuses and that makes it important for students to be aware. 

    The Family Refuge Center is a new organization and they work with Concord University. “It is important for students to know what resources are out there,” says Buchanan. “A lot of times people don’t report sexual assaults, so it is important for people to know about our services, so they can refer it someone who needs it.” Buchanan says that the best way to raise awareness about sexual assault is to explain to people what sexual assault actually is. “It is not like what you see on TV. If you see something happening – speak up.” 

    Emily Culver, student at Concord and secretary for Students for Campus Safety Awareness, says “Our organization is about overall campus safety and sexual assault is something which happens often on college campuses, and it is also something you don’t really hear about in smaller schools like this one. So we wanted to take April, which is the month of sexual assault awareness and turn it into this fair, so people who might be afraid to come forward about being sexually assaulted could come in here and anonymously take brochures and help themselves in whatever way they feel necessary. It is a good way to give people anonymous information.” 

    Haley Fields, Vice President of Students for Campus Awareness Organization, recalls the story of a guy she knew at Concord who was sexually assaulted but didn’t think it was a big deal. Fields says that one of the goals for the fair is to reach out to male audience as well as female, “They [men] should feel comfortable to come forward and get all the help they need instead of feeling that like that it is not muscular to come forward after being sexually assaulted. There is a different stigma about men’s sexual assaults against women’s.” 

    Mark Stella, Chief of Police at Concord, came to represent the Sexual Assault Response Team (S.A.R.T.). “If anybody is sexually assaulted, we are a support mechanism. Say you were sexually assaulted and you don’t know what to do – we have resources that we can get you in touch with and, ultimately, you are the victim and we would assist you in any way we can,” says Stella. The main goal for the presence in the fair is to raise awareness and remind people of common sense about safety. “It is a common knowledge to know that it is probably happening because you are in that generation, in a group of younger people,” says Megan Webber, member of S.A.R.T. and Resident Director for Wilson, Sarvay, and Woodell Halls.  

    Legal Aid of West Virginia came to let students know about their services – they can help with domestic violence, sexual assaults, divorce, landlord-tenant issues, restraining orders and some other legal issues Concord students might need but not always can afford. For example, some of the Concord students might find it relevant to know that Legal Aid of West Virginia would be able to deal with a landlord, who, for instance, feels comfortable to unlocking a tenant’s room in the middle of the night just to determine if guests are over. In this case, representatives of Legal Aid of West Virginia would be able to negotiate better conditions for the landlord-tenant relationship. “As a college student, you are not going have a lot of income flowing in, and there are different circumstances. So you would possibly be able to come to us and we would be able to help you out,” says Kaitlin Morgan, staff Attorney from Legal Aid of West Virginia. They do not charge for their services.