On March 11-12, faculty and graduate students will
take part in an in-class "Build UMass" teach-in. Instructors
will take 15 minutes or so of class time to discuss with students
the importance of affordable, high-quality public higher education,
with manageable fees, an adequate library, and competitive rates
of pay, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Participants will invite students to register to
vote, using materials that the graduate students organization
will make available in the classroom. We will give students an
opportunity to write to their state representative urging adequate
funding for the campus, using legislative lists and writing materials
available in class. We will suggest that students write home to
urge family members to write or call their representatives on
this important matter, again using materials (including stamps)
provided free of charge.
At Chancellor Lombardi's suggestion, the teach-in
(which will be entirely non-coercive and voluntary) will use the
theme "Build UMass." We will project a positive but
concerned message that students will convey in their own way.
The message will especially focus on why it's important to fund
a top-quality research campus such as UMass Amherst adequately,
and how crucial it is to keep access affordable here. The Massachusetts
Society of Professors will provide talking points for use in class
discussion.
We urge anyone who teaches on Tuesday, March 11
or Wednesday, March 12 to volunteer to help in this important
initiative. Last year's "Save UMass" effort did definitely
work. While we experienced mid-year reductions, the '03 budget
was more or less flat in a difficult year. We can do the same
this year in spite of the tough times.
This is a grand venture in practical civic participation.
We hope this effort succeeds this year. We also hope it encourages
students to be lifelong advocates for this campus.
We are inviting President Bulger and his staff,
Chancellor Lombardi and his senior administrators, and officers
of the Alumni Association to assist the teach-in effort by attending
classes themselves and encouraging students to register to vote
and make legislative contacts -- the lifeblood of democracy.
We're all in this together. Please volunteer to
take some class time to help. Talking points and other materials
will be provided. Contact the MSP office (5-2206; msp@external.umass.edu)
with the time, size and location of your class. We'll get the
materials to you.
RON STORY
president,
Massachusetts Society of Professors
Every two minutes, a woman is raped in the United
States (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001).
Eight out of 10 sexual assaults happen to victims
under the age of 25, and 22 percent of all victims are between
the traditional college ages of 18-24 (California Coalition Against
Sexual Assault, 2001).
Living and working on a college campus, these statistics
are all too familiar. Sexual assault is a global problem, and
our campus community is not immune to the social issues that surround
us. At UMass Amherst, individuals, groups, departments, and organizations
have been working tirelessly for decades to address issues of
sexual violence on campus. The Community Advisory Team for Sexual
Violence Prevention (CAT) is one of the many groups that continue
to be involved in the ongoing work of violence prevention on campus,
but much of the work of the CAT is behind the scenes. For this
reason, the CAT decided to publicize its work to better inform
the campus community about what steps the committee is taking
to address the issues of sexual violence on campus in a timely,
sensitive, and sustainable way.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus
Life has established the Community Advisory Team for Sexual Violence
Prevention to work with on- and off-campus agencies to ensure
a coordinated, comprehensive, culturally competent approach to
issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking on the
UMass Amherst campus. This approach encompasses provision of both
direct services and community education to effect social change.
The Community Advisory Team is made up of representatives
from campus departments and off-campus agencies that deal with
issues of sexual assault, stalking and domestic violence. The
CAT meets monthly and is chaired by the director of Rape Crisis
and Violence Prevention Services at Everywoman's Center.
The CAT includes representatives from the Amherst
Police Department, Counseling and Assessment Services, Dean of
Students Office, Disability Services, Every-woman's Center, Greek
Affairs, Housing Services, Mental Health Services, the Office
of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life, Public
Safety, University Health Services and the Victim/Witness Program
of the Northwestern District Attorney's Office. The CAT also invites
representatives from academic support programs, cultural centers,
student groups, and other groups as appropriate.
In the past two years, the Community Advisory Team
has overseen the production of the "Protocol for Responding
to Disclosures of Sexual Assault," updated the anonymous
Sexual Assault Centralized Report Form, and collaborated with
Everywoman's Center's "Got consent?" poster campaign
and Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaigns.
The CAT continues to serve in an advisory capacity to Everywoman's
Center's campus grant from the Office of Justice Programs, offering
input and collaboration on the many projects encompassed in the
goals and objectives of the grant.
For more information about the Community Advisory
Team, contact Rebecca Lockwood, associate director for Rape Crisis
and Violence Prevention Services at Everywoman's Center at 5-5832.
As a community, we can end sexual violence.
REBECCA LOCKWOOD
on behalf of the
Community Advisory Team
for Sexual Violence Prevention
