Agreement formalizes how KU works with local victim advocacy agency in sexual violence cases

Last fall, Kansas University Sexual Assault Task Force members and leaders of the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center agreed that the university and the local victim advocacy agency needed to not only work together informally, but to get their relationship in writing.

The university now has a formal memorandum of understanding with the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center (formerly GaDuGi SafeCenter), KU announced this week.

Chrissy Heikkila, executive director of the center, said her organization and KU previously have communicated and referred victims back and forth. She said the memorandum doesn’t significantly change protocol but is hoped to formalize it.

“Hopefully that’s what this helps provide, is that streamlined approach to that support system,” Heikkila said. “I think the most important part about this is that they get connected.”

Alesha Doan, co-chairwoman of the Sexual Assault Task Force — which met throughout the 2014-15 school year and gave KU a list of recommendations at the conclusion — said she was happy the memorandum came to fruition.

Doan said the memorandum should create “more fluid” services for KU students.

“The issue of sexual violence is a public health problem that requires collaboration with community partners to address the needs of survivors and improve prevention efforts,” Doan said in an email. “STACC is a key organization in Lawrence that has the expertise to provide survivor-centered services to victims.”

The agreement says:

• In addition to providing its usual crisis intervention and counseling services to KU students and employees, the center will give them information about filing a complaint with KU’s Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access and how to report a complaint to campus or local law enforcement.

• The center will give KU general information (no personally identifiable information) about incidents of sexual violence involving KU community members to help KU identify patterns.

• The center and KU’s Title IX coordinator will meet regularly to share information about victims’ needs, trends in sexual assault services provided and the effectiveness of the university’s program.

• The center will provide training to KU health care and student services staff and others.

• The center will help KU develop prevention programming.

The memorandum also addresses confidentiality.

It says all services provided by either organization will be kept confidential unless the victim gives “informed consent” to release information to another entity or local law enforcement.

Last fall, in addressing the Sexual Assault Task Force, Heikkila emphasized that the Center has trained professionals designed to support all area victims on a case-by-case basis and that it wasn’t necessary to “reinvent” those services on campus. She said more understanding and communication was needed, however, for the KU community to fully use them.

KU’s Sexual Assault Task Force also recommended KU create a similar memorandum with Willow Domestic Violence Center, which may happen later.

“We are in discussions with a number of Lawrence community partners, including Willow,” KU spokesman Joe Monaco said.

In February, KU and the Lawrence City Commission finalized a memorandum of understanding between the university and the Lawrence Police Department, which outlines how the two should work together regarding sexual violence investigations.