This summer, Sexual Abuse Awareness Program interim coordinator Rebel Roberts will be replaced by Michelle de Sousa ("DeSousa named new coordinator of SAAP," May 15). The new hire provides a convenient time to reassess SAAP's tone in order to ensure it is effectively supporting the Dartmouth community.
Like most other college campuses, Dartmouth is home to a risky combination of young people, alcohol and a hook-up culture that makes sexual assault a very real problem. And Dartmouth students know it. Annual events Speak Out and Take Back the Night represent the most consistent activism seen by our relatively satisfied student body -- which engages itself in the occasional ephemeral dust-up but for the most part remains complacent -- and dark-horse petition candidate Tim Andreadis '07 ran away with the student body presidential election two years ago on a loud fear campaign focused entirely on sexual assault.
The fact that students can turn to trained peers if they need assistance with matters concerning sexual assault is unquestionably a step in the right direction. But approaching complete strangers -- especially when asking for help with an intensely personal problem -- runs counter to the stoicism ingrained in the tough-guy, tough-girl Dartmouth culture. Furthermore, the small Dartmouth community hardly breeds any sort of anonymous and confidential interaction -- far from it. Even if Sexual Assault Peer Advisors do adhere to their pledge of confidentiality, afflicted students may be hesitant to contact them.
The SAAP's job is made more difficult because the very issue driving it, sexual assault, is already such a taboo topic, both on our campus and in general. But the program, dedicated to counseling and empowering traumatized students, marginalizes itself with an activist streak that surely turns confused and fearful victims away. The loud, angry and intimidating group bent on political and social change needs to reconcile itself with the private, under-the-radar and welcoming group it must be. Sure, SAAP is successful at making itself visible on campus, but now it is time to reevaluate the image it projects. Although we are loathe to encourage the creation of yet another campus group, the roles of activism and counseling should perhaps be left to separate entities.
The uniform, all-encompassing nature of the program cripples it in another way: Dartmouth's undergaduate population is diverse in its sexual needs and concerns. First-year students largely unfamiliar with the locations, the people and the activities that comprise the Dartmouth social scene are more likely to find themselves in threatening situations than are upperclassmen, but SAAP's initiatives and training do not adequately reflect that divide.
As the new head of SAAP, de Sousa will have to find an effective, uncontrived and welcoming way to extend its reach and education to a larger portion of the campus population, while tailoring the dialogue to the unique demands of our community.
