Cal Poly Pomona is committed to addressing the needs of survivors of sexual abuse, dating/domestic abuse and stalking and to provide violence prevention efforts to the campus community.
This past spring, the CSU Chancellor’s Office issued guidelines under Executive Order 1095 to establish a designated and dedicated survivor and sexual assault advocate at all CSU campuses. One of the stipulations was that the advocate could not be located in a gender specific center (like a Women’s Resource Center) as they are intended to also serve men and non-gender conforming individuals. Previously, the campus confidential survivor advocate was the coordinator of the Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center (VPWRC). In order to comply with these new guidelines, the survivor advocate and violence prevention work has been separated from the Violence Prevention & Women’s Resource Center.
The survivor advocate is now located in Student Health & Counseling Services – as senior coordinator and survivor advocate. The person in this post serves as the campus-wide confidential advocate (as outlined in section 1035.2 of the California Evidence Code) for survivors of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking. The advocate also assists with campus-wide violence prevention education and training efforts.
Survivor Advocacy Services (SAS), under Student Health and Counseling Services, provides emergency, ongoing support services and assistance in order to ensure the well-being and safety of students, staff and faculty who are victims/survivors/complainants of sexual abuse, dating/domestic abuse and stalking. Professional and peer survivor advocates offer a supportive, confidential, and nonjudgmental atmosphere where survivors are encouraged to make their own decisions to address their situation.
Survivor Advocacy Services also include:
- Emotional and crisis support
- Information and options available for those who experience sexual assault, dating/domestic abuse and stalking.
- Assistance and guidance with filing police or Title IX reports when requested by the survivor
- Information and assistance with obtaining medical care
- Academic advocacy and support
- Safety planning, including help with filing restraining orders
- Consultation for students, staff and faculty in regards to supporting survivors
- On- and off-campus referrals
All advocacy services are confidential and will not trigger a police or Title IX investigation.
SAS is located in the front entrance of Building 46, which houses Student Health Services. For more information and to schedule an appointment, contact Mayra Romo, senior coordinator and survivor advocate at (909) 869-3102 or via email at mromo@cpp.edu.
With the new CSU guidelines, Title IX and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), the university is exploring how it will address campus-wide prevention efforts. Students will have a voice this academic year in the re-envisioning of violence prevention education efforts on campus.
There is still a great need for a Women’s Resource Center (WRC) to focus on women’s education, services, and programming. After carefully assessing the space needs of this program as well as the African American Student Center, the two offices have exchanged spaces. Both will still be located and anchored within Building 95.
The Office of Student Life & Cultural Centers (OSLCC) has assigned a new full-time coordinator, Anita Roberts, to lead the education, services and programming for the re-launched WRC. Roberts has worked in OSLCC in various roles, including serving for many years in the former Women’s and ReEntry Center. She can be reached at aaroberts@cpp.edu or at (909) 869-3790. (Note: WRC staff are required to report to the Title IX coordinator any known incidents of sexual misconduct, domestic/dating violence and stalking. The WRC will continue to receive the same level of funding and support as the other cultural centers.)
The WRC coordinator, senior coordinator and survivor advocate, and Title IX coordinator will work closely to ensure provision of resources, training and programming as part of the campus-wide effort to provide violence prevention and support.