The Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Program is one of many programs targeting sexual assault prevention, awareness, support, and education that have popped up on campus since Cyndi Briggs’ position as director of gender issues and retention was created. Briggs’ arrival at the beginning of the school year marked a rejuvenated focus on safety and equality on Guilford’s campus.
“My position was created because faculty and administrators worried that sexual assault incidents were not being reported on campus and if they were, the needs of the victims weren’t being met sufficiently,” said Briggs.

“My job is to create consistent programs that can be used for years to come and that take sexual assault off of the back burner.”
Guilford’s Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy program just began training advocates this spring. However, according to Briggs, many colleges have had successful peer-based, educational, mentoring, and support programs centered on sexual assault issues for years.

The blueprint for Guilford’s peer advocacy program was spawned from a program at Wake Forest where Briggs attended graduate school.
There are currently six traditional age students, two CCE students, and two faculty members involved in the advocate training. According to Briggs, the role of the advocate is first and foremost to be a support person and a resource for victims of sexual assault.
One of the main goals of the advocate project is to “avoid the wearing of two hats,” said Briggs.

“In the event of a sexual assault, it is crucial to have victim advocates which are separate from the legal/ judicial standpoint,” said Sexual Assault Victim Advocate and President of SAFE Lindsey Gallagher.
“Cyndi [Briggs] talked about how difficult it is to counsel a student after a rape, and really listen to them and comfort them, and then say, “by the way,, since you told me this, we will have to take it to the judicial board.”

The advocates were chosen through an application process and have gone through several training sessions this spring dealing with case studies of sexual assault and ethical issues. Advocates will continue their training in the fall working with Family Services of the Triad, Guilford county’s rape crisis center.

The advocates will immediately be assigned in teams of two to any student who reports sexual assault. The victim will have the option of choosing another advocate team if they are not comfortable with the team that is assigned to them.

Ideally, Briggs would like to see teams consisting of one younger student and one CCE student or faculty member. This way the victim will have the option of working with an advocate in the age group that they are most comfortable with.

However, because the advocate group currently consists of more traditional-age students, Briggs is hoping that more CCE students or faculty and staff will apply for advocate positions.

Although the advocates just began their training this spring and will not function as active advocates until next fall, Cyndi is optimistic about the future of the program, and the advocates are inspired by the importance of what they are involved in.

“I decided to become an advocate because it seems like more and more of my friends–strong, intelligent women–are telling me stories of how they were assaulted,” said Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Emily Gelblum, a junior.

“In speaking with them, I’ve learned how important it was for them to have someone to talk to or how much they wished that they had had someone.”