Monday, March 22, 2010

LAUNCH OF SUPPORT LINE: Official Statement

The Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre officially launched a sexual assault support line for Carleton students, staff and faculty this morning at 8am.

The number is 613-620-1030 and the line is open from 8am to midnight, 7 days a week.

The line offers free, confidential, peer support to all Carleton students, staff, and faculty regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, ability, age, Mother Tongue or student status.

We are NOT affiliated with Carleton University administration in any way.

Our work is funded through an anonymous donor.

We are trained support workers who work within an anti-oppressive, feminist, survivor-driven framework. We are here for survivors, first and foremost and our creation of the line is a result of feedback from students over the past 3 years. The Coalition has been very active and very public since the fall of 2007 and in doing so, have been approached by hundreds of students either through our rallies, our Facebook group, our e-mail or through the Task Force on Gender-Based Violence, which was held in November, 2009. Students want access to services that are non-judgmental, non-hierarchical and responsive to the needs of the student body. Survivors want to be heard.

At the Task Force in November, we promised students that their demands would be heard. We are meeting that promise.

We are continuing to participate in a working group with Equity Services with the goal of a joint recommendation to President Runte by the end of this semester. The hope is that President Runte will consider our recommendations for improved sexual assault services on campus and make an announcement in the fall, bringing concrete changes to Carleton. The Coalition is recommending a student-run, university funded sexual assault centre.

For more information, please call or e-mail us at coalitionforcarleton@gmail.com

In solidarity,

- Julie (Coalition co-founder) and the Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre

-----------------------------
Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre
Blog -- Twitter -- Facebook
Support Line: 613-620-1030
coalitionforcarleton@gmail.com

No comments:

Post a Comment