A $300,000 federal grant increased the Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates budget by 50 times its original amount.

SAPA adviser Stephen Thompson said the organization only had $6,000 to fund the program at the beginning of the year.

“This really eased my stress because on the outside students may have noticed little disruptions with the program, but internally we were scrambling,” he said.

SAPA, a nationally-recognized student program and support group of survivors of violence, received the grant from the Department of Justice.

“I was shocked when we got it,” Thompson said. “It’s like putting icing on an already decorated cake when some universities don’t even have the recipe.”

Thompson said the federal grant will be used to have a salaried dedicated counselor, bring speakers and continue joint support with nurse examiners from Women’s Aid Services.

Susanne Stefanski, associate director of sexual aggression for SAPA and Counseling Center faculty member, said she is excited to have the chance to work directly with SAPA the next three years as the salaried dedicated counselor.

“Having a dedicated counselor for sexual aggression at any college where these issues are prevalent is a huge gift,” Stepfanski said.

She was hired previously by SAPA in 2005 with the first grant they received.

The grant will allow the SAPA program to have the ability to reach out to other universities.

“By receiving this grant, we’re able to show other universities the level we’re at and the level they should strive for,” Thompson said.

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said the SAPA program is one of the leaders in the nation.

Roscoe said he hopes the program will be able to focus on innovative and creative things instead of merely external activities.

The grant is currently funding a trip to Orlando for the 2008 National Conference on Sexual Assault in Our Schools. At this conference SAPA members will present “Spoken: Painted Photographs and Testimonies of Sexual Aggression Survivors.”

“Spoken” is an exhibit of distorted photos of eight female victims and two male victims with featured audio testimonies.

Thompson said the grant is being used to help CMU students.

“This grant is for you and your peers,” he said. “This program is for CMU students to help CMU students.”

news@cm-life.com

E-mail the author: Lynn Fischer