Alison Story wants sexual assault to be an issue of no taboo.

The Okemos senior hopes to fulfill her mission by being an active
member for the Sexual Assault Peer Advocates, a group of CMU students
trained to give support to sexual assault victims.

“I want to be a voice and an advocate for survivors of sexual
aggression,” she said.

The group has a 24-hour crisis line for people who have experienced
any type of sexual aggression, which includes stalking, harassment and
rape. Members carry cell phones on them at all times so they do not
miss one call.

“We’re a really diverse group and we all have a passion for what
we’re doing,” said Illinois senior Cindy Ulmenstine, an active SAPA
member.

The non-profit organization has 27 veteran members and 11 new
members.

“They’re great people,” said Stephen Thompson, Sexual Assault
Services coordinator. “They’re the change we want to see in our
society.”

SAPA encountered controversy with its start in the 1995-96 school
year because people did not believe students were trained enough to
deal with sexual aggression issues.

Thompson did not agree.

“I use the line from the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ — ‘If you build it,
they will come,’” Thompson said.

New members of SAPA go through 40 hours of training, which include
empathic listening, profiles of sexual offenders and how to deal with
every sexual aggression issue.

SAPA also organizes educational programs across campus and the state
about sexual aggression issues.

Many sexual assaults go unreported because victims are afraid to
speak up.

“Sometimes people have nowhere else to go,” Ulmenstine said. “We
listen. We let them say what they want to say.”

The organization is involved in about 50 programs, including No
Zebras, No Excuses for freshmen students to learn about sexual
aggression issues and The Clothesline Project, a national exhibit that
displays the experiences of sexual aggression survivors.

Thompson said one out of every four women will be a victim in their
lifetime.

SAPA wants to bring awareness of these troubling statistics and more.

“We believe everyone and we listen to anybody,” Story said. “It’s
not our place to judge.”

Students interested in joining SAPA can obtain an application from
the office of the Dean of Students or online at
http://www.sapa.cmich.edu.

For help, contact SAPA at 774-2255.

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