In January, the university partnered with Women Organized Against Rape, a Philadelphia-based sexual violence crisis center, and opened a satellite office on Main Campus. Students can call a 24-hour sexual assault crisis hotline, and WOAR counselors will meet them anywhere on Main Campus for confidential support.
Despite this resource being available, no students have reached out to WOAR so far, Monique Howard, the organization’s executive director, told The Temple News.
We commend the university for its effort to expand on-campus resources for survivors of sexual assault. But we also urge university leaders to consider another way to reach out and provide support if no one has utilized this service.
According to a 2014 report issued by the Presidential Committee on Campus Sexual Misconduct formed under former President Neil Theobald, the committee recommended a sexual assault crisis center on Main Campus and a 24/7 mental health counseling hotline.
Tuttleman does not have its own 24/7 hotline, and the university has no existing plans for a sexual assault center, but WOAR is accessible 24/7.
Expanding resources is pertinent, as on-campus sexual assault still affects members of the Temple community. Fourteen cases of sexual assault were reported last year, and two cases reported this year on or around Main Campus are currently being investigated by Temple Police.
We are aware that there will never be a solution that works for all sexual assault survivors. But it is important that Temple keeps working to assist every Temple student in need.
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