I would like to respond to the statement from Kate Murphy, assistant director of Residence Life, in relation to the sexual assault of a student on campus recently. Murphy stated mentors are “trained to help victims of sexual assaults and other crimes” (“Woman sexually attacked on campus,” SN 1/23).

As a former mentor on the MSU campus and a community education paraprofessional in the Lansing area, I can say this is completely false. Mentors received 40-plus hours of training at the beginning of the year, during which sexual assault was referred to only once in a skit.

Never did the university provide mentors with adequate emotional, psychological or social training to even discuss the massive issue of sexual assault on a realistic first-person basis. In addition, mentors were instructed to refer sexual assault cases they received to their assistant hall director for processing and support.

In short, the Department of Residence Life fails to train mentors to deal with this situation. When I personally dealt with sexual assault as a mentor, I only succeeded in assisting the survivor by using skills I had learned elsewhere.

I would caution any survivors of sexual assault in contacting their mentor; rather I would suggest contacting one of the many paraprofessional agencies that guarantee confidentiality, such as MSU’s Safe Place (372-5572) or the Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center (337-1717). Both organizations staff trained volunteers and offer 24-hour, free and confidential counseling and in some cases, advocacy.

Joseph M. Leykam
psychology junior,
former MSU mentor