ACHA Publishes Toolkit to Help Universities Address Sexual and Relationship Violence

The American College Health Association has released a new toolkit designed to help college campuses address sexual and relationship violence.

The toolkit — Addressing Sexual and Relationship Violence: A Trauma-Informed Approach — describes a public health model of trauma-informed care, and provides guidance on how to engage campus partners and community members to create a trauma-informed campus.

Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, director of STAR Central and adviser for RESPECT, serves as co-chair of the ACHA's Creating Guidance for Addressing Sexual Assault Task Force, and helped develop the toolkit and write the American College Health Association's new guidelines released last year.

"Campuses should incorporate trauma-informed practices in all aspects of care in order to provide a more sensitive response and to lower the risk of re-victimization," said Wyandt-Hiebert. "This new resource gives every institution the opportunity to reflect on their current system and help develop and enhance programs and services."

Trauma-informed approaches aim to reduce the negative affects by emphasizing physical, psychological and emotional safety for both victims/survivors and the campus community. The guidelines encourage colleges to deliver programs and services in a way that facilitates participation from the victim/survivor and reduces the chance of re-traumatization.

At the University of Arkansas, prevention programs and incident-response services are continually being evaluated and improved to align with the frame work of creating a trauma-informed campus.

"STAR Central employs best practices when creating outreach programs and applies a victim-centered approach with advocacy services" said Wyandt-Hiebert. "It's critical our campus has effective programs and resources that help reduce negative effects such as alienation, barriers to academic success and graduation, adverse physical and mental health outcomes, and fear of retaliation."

Campus Resources

• STAR Central | 479-575-7252
• UA Police Department | 479-575-2222
• Pat Walker Health Center | 479-575-4451
• CAPS 24-hour Emergency Services | 479-575-5276
• Title IX Compliance | 479-575-4019
• Student Conduct and Standards | 479-575-5170

For information on how to report sexual assault and relationship violence at the U of A, click here.

About STAR Central

STAR Central, an office in the Pat Walker Health Center's Wellness & Health Promotion Department, provides Support, Training, Advocacy and Resources on Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence. Developed in 1998, STAR Central addresses the issues of sexual assault and relationship violence through the provision of awareness campaigns, education programs, and victim advocacy services.