The Wellness Center filled the newly created position of sexual assault health educator Sept. 23.
Daniel Rappaport, who started work at AU last week, develops educational programming, works with individual students and serves as a resource for the campus, Michelle Espinosa, associate dean of students, said.
“We’re talking about programs in the residence halls; we’re talking about programs with other student organizations,” Espinosa said. “There’s a variety of areas on campus that he can connect with.”
University administrators realized that sexual assault was an issue that needed to be addressed more urgently, according to Dean of Students Robert Hradsky. AU examined the problem over the past two years and made a decision to create the position before the end of the Spring 2010 semester.
“We really felt that there was more that we could be doing, but we didn’t have anyone dedicated to lead the efforts,” Hradsky said. “This is a person that can lead our educational efforts, and they can be there for work with survivors of sexual assault as well.”
Although support systems for victims of sexual assault were already in existence, including the Women’s Resource Center and Women’s Initiative, Hradsky said sexual assault is not only a women’s issue.
Women’s Initiative Director Quinn Pregliasco said she agreed that groups other than women should feel that the sexual assault health educator is accessible to them.
“There are a lot of people on campus who are affected by [sexual assault] but just don’t ever have discussions about it,” Pregliasco said.
