Violence Prevention Educator and Survivor Advocate

The Violence Prevention Educator and Survivor Advocate is a trained sexual assault and domestic violence crisis counselor/advocate and a confidential campus resource. The VPE/Advocate’s role is to:

  • Provide confidential support to individuals affected by sexual and/or relationship abuse and assault, stalking, and sexual misconduct by providing emotional support, information related to sexual misconduct prevention and response, navigating and accessing resources, and assistance/advocacy through the formal reporting and response process.
  • Coordinate campus wide education, trainings, programs, and events related to sexual and relationship abuse/violence, consent, bystander intervention, healthy relationships, etc;
  • Advocate for survivor-sensitive and trauma-informed policies and services across the College;
  • Advise complainants in the TIX complaint and adjudication process.

Support & Advocacy

The VPE/Survivor Advocate can provide a range of support and advocacy services:
  • Crisis Counseling: Get direct support in dealing with the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of sexual/relationship violence.   Whether immediately after an assault or weeks, months, or even years later, a survivor may find themselves with various needs and concerns. The campus advocate can provide confidential support by helping individuals talk through their feelings, explore their options and connect with appropriate resources. 
  • Information: Talk confidentially about issues and questions related to sexual assault/abuse, relationship violence, healthy/unhealthy relationships, as well as resources and options for responding to assault or abuse, including supporting a friend or a loved one who is a survivor.
  • Resource Referral: Learn about available on- and off- campus resources, and get connected with appropriate support to address your personal needs and concerns.
  • Safety Planning:  Sexual/relationship violence can impact our lives in a multitude of ways and often requires a multi-faceted response. A safety plan helps in strategizing options and resources for one's immediate and long-term safety and well-being, whether or not one chooses to make a formal complaint. The advocate can work with you to assist in developing a plan that addresses not only your physical safety, but also your emotional well-being.
  • Confidential Access to Title IX Accommodations:  The College is required to provide individuals seeking support related to an incidence of sexual misconduct, relationship abuse or stalking, a variety accommodations:                                                                                                                                         
    - Housing: changing a student's College-owned housing, assistance from College support staff in completing housing relocation;
    - Academic Consideration/Support: rescheduling of exams and assignments, providing alternative course completion options; changing class; schedules, including the ability to change course sections or withdrawal from a course without penalty; providing academic support services, such as tutoring;
    - Counseling: access to counseling services and assistance in setting up an initial appointment, on and off campus;
    - “No Contact” Directive: may include limiting an individual's (respondent's) access to certain College facilities or activities or a College-imposed leave/separation pending resolution of the matter;
    - Individualized Support: the College will work with students to address any other needs to provide safety and support including changing work schedules or job assignments; providing an escort to ensure safe movement between classes and activities; transportation to access off-campus resources; and any other remedy that can be tailored to the involved individuals to achieve the goals of this policy.

Visit our ‘Resources’ page to find out more information about available support on- and off- campus.

Education and Prevention

The Violence Prevention Educator works closely with the Title IX Coordinator and key campus constituents in coordinating and delivering campus-wide prevention and awareness education via programs, events, initiatives, and trainings. Some highlights include: 

  • New Student Orientation presentation "Making Friends, Making Out: Building Healthy Relationships at Swarthmore"
  • Community-wide events like: "Can I Kiss You", the Clothesline Project, Take Back the Night, "I ♥ Female Orgasms", etc
  • Advising student organizations like ASAP (Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention)
  • Providing on-going training for student groups, organizations and offices including residential life staff, fraternities and sororities, SWAT Team, Public Safety, new employees, etc.
  • Survivor Advocacy and Anti-Violence Education (SAVE) day-long training
  • Consent is Sexy campaign

The VPE is also available to provide special individualized trainings on a variety of topics: healthy/unhealthy relationships, sexual assault and violence, rape culture, supporting a survivor, understanding and improving responses to interpersonal violence, sexual assault prevention etc. The VPE will work with you to identify and access educational and training resources if they can not be provided via campus resources. 

To make an appointment to meet with the VPE/Advocate or requests for information, training and programming, please call 610-823-8538.