Michigan State will create a new program to offer 24-hour-a-day, first response medical care to survivors of sexual assault on campus, according to a university press release.
The program — the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, program — is based off recommendations from the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workshop and will be created along with the development of a new Sexual Assault Response Team on campus, the release said.
The SANE program will have an advisory board consisting of MSU staff, faculty, students and other members of the community to "ensure the unique needs of the MSU community are considered in the development and implementation of the SANE program." Angie Povilaitis and Nassar survivor Amanda Thomashow have already accepted invitations to be SANE advisory board members, the release said.
An application to be considered for a volunteer position on the advisory board can be found on the Office of the President's website.
The Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, will combine "advocacy, medical, legal and educational services for survivors," and ensure trauma-informed practices.
Both the SANE and the SART program will help MSU "implement national best practices in sexual assault response and better serve the community," the press release said.
According to the release, the goals of the program are to improve the quality of assistance to survivors of sexual assault, provide Title IX, criminal justice, medical and advocacy support, increase awareness of culturally sensitive services for survivors, increase perpetrator accountability, empower survivors, increase use of sexual assault services and minimize the re-traumatization of survivors.
According to the press release, the development of the SART program will begin immediately.
The program will also work with other organizations and offices on MSU's campus, including the Sexual Assault Program, MSU Police, the Office for Civil Rights, and Title IX Education and Compliance.
"We conducted a thorough review of programs and services for sexual assault survivors at MSU and concluded that there is no reliable option for post-assault medical support on campus," Rebecca Campbell, the workgroup chair and a psychology professor at the university, said in the release. "Although there is a SANE and a SART program in the greater Lansing area, they are difficult for MSU community members, particularly students, to access. Given the size of the student body and broader community, we need dedicated 24-hour on-campus programs."
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