College's Rape Awareness Coordinator post not filled

When members of the Sexual Assault Support Team (SAST) discovered that no one currently holds the rape awareness coordinator position at their ExCO meeting last Tuesday, they began to wonder why no one had ever been hired to fill the job.

Sophomore Jenny Morse, co-leader of the SAST ExCo, became concerned after reading the section of the sexual offense policy which states that a rape awareness coordinator is to be appointed by the Dean of Student Life and Services. "I just assumed [the coordinator] was Camille since she deals with some of the issues," Morse said. "But she just got really quiet and said that no one had been appointed for some time."

SAST invited Camille Mitchell, sexual offence policy coordinator, to be a guest speaker to the group and answer general questions about the Sexual Offense Review Committee (SORC).

Mitchell said she was aware of the fact that no coordinator had been appointed but had not brought it to the attention of Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk. "My role in the past has involved working in conjunction with [the coordinator]," Mitchell said. No one has been appointed to the position since Cole-Newkirk has been at Oberlin.

Cole-Newkirk said she was not aware that it is her responsibility to appoint a coordinator. "This is the first I've heard of it," she said. "No one has raised the issue to me before. I didn't know it was part of my responsibility [to appoint someone], otherwise I would have done it."

Cole-Newkirk said the provision calling for a rape awareness coordinator was written before Mitchell assumed her current post. "The language predates Camille's appointment," Cole-Newkirk said. She said Mitchell has been doing the work of the rape awareness coordinator.

She added, "I think if SORC wants a coordinator, we can do that."

Mitchell explained that she had not mentioned word of appointing the coordinator to Cole-Newkirk because "[Cole-Newkirk] has to do what she feels with her staff."

Mitchell also said she had thought the position had been cut with restructuring and down-sizing in staff last year, and said, "My hope was that [the position] would be built back in as restructuring took place."

Morse said, "If [Mitchell] is not the person to remind [Cole-Newkirk] to appoint someone, then who is?"

Morse said she was especially concerned with the fact that Mitchell had not taken any action because she felt that it was Mitchell's responsibility to do so.

Senior Noel Tieszen, the other SAST ExCo leader, was equally concerned with the fact that no coordinator had been appointed. "If it's in the policy, then the person should exist," she said."If a person is going to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus, then that would be great. The more education someone can help out with, the better."

SAST advisor Jan Cooper, associate professor of expository writing, said she was concerned with the fact that the coordinator position had not been appointed, but did not know enough about the situation to comment further.

Members of SAST would like to see something done about the situation. First-year Rachel Williams, a member of the SAST ExCo, said, "I think it's [Mitchell's] prerogative to make sure [Cole-Newkirk] follows through. I think it's outrageous that they didn't appoint someone, especially since it's in the policy."

Williams also raised the issue that without the coordinator position installed, students unfamiliar with the sexual offense policy are being denied information.

"I think the person in that position is supposed to work with SAST and SORC members at orientation. Without [the coordinator], it means that first-years aren't going to know the policy as well. [The faculty in charge] basically haven't covered their asses about educating the committee," she said.

As of Thursday, no action has been taken in appointing a coordinator. Morse said a committee of SAST members have been working on a policy to ensure that such responsibilities are followed through.

"The people working on [the policy] want to leave their mark and have a say even if it's not official," Morse said.

She said the most immediate benefit of filling the empty position would be additional help to SAST. "It would help SAST to have a coordinator because we can always use more help. The more, the merrier."