New Canaan Meeting Offers Knowledge on Campus Sexual Assault

There are a number of things to worry about as parents get ready to send their children off to college for the first time. The topic of sexual assault awareness should be near the top of the list, according to several experts.

New Canaan officials and experts gathered recently at police headquarters to offer knowledge to college students and their families on sexual assault that occurs on campus.

A White House task force on the subject of college sexual assaults found that one in five women will be sexually assaulted during college. Most often it’s someone that is familiar and the assault goes unreported.

Dede Bartlett of the Domestic Violence Partnership of New Canaan said that the topic of sexual assault and resources is often brought up during student orientation, but the information can be lost in the flurry of mounds of new topics.

“No college or university can guarantee safety,” she said, adding that freshmen are often the most vulnerable to assault.

First Selectman Robert Mallozzi said that the program last year helped his family as his daughter went off to college. For many parents the topic of sexual assault isn’t the first thing on their minds as they send a student off to college, he said.

Villanova University junior Margie Hahn said that her school made sure students had resources and places to go. The school has counseling center and a 24/7 private line.

“You really want to find a school where the community cares about you,” she said.

Hahn said that it can be helpful to let people who aren’t immediately with you know where you are going and to have a safe word with friends and family.

Jessica Buchanan of the Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education in Stamford said that parents and students should find out specifically how a college or university deals with the issue. Important things to know include finding out who the Title IX coordinator is, if the school has a sexual assault crisis center and if the student health center offers sexual assault health exams.

Helpful sites and numbers:

Notalone.gov

Domestic Violence Crisis Center 203-853-0418 for free counseling.

National Domestic Violence Hotline at: 1-888-774-2900

Photo caption: Villanova junior Margie Hahn (right) speaks about how young women at her campus talk about the subject of sexual assault.