Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates may lose $300,000 grant, cut positions
Central Michigan University's Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates is in jeopardy of losing its $300,000 federal grant in late September.
SAPA has received the grant every three years since 2003, said Steve Thompson, director and creator of SAPA.
The looming threat of losing the grant has SAPA considering cutting some of their most vital programs.
One of the positions which may be cut is the dedicated counselor. The counselor is responsible for getting the survivor into a counseling center the next day following the assault, and meeting with SAPAs after they complete their week on-call with the emergency phone.
The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner position would also be eliminated without the grant.
SANE is a project of Women’s Aid Services, which is a sexual abuse agency in Mount Pleasant. SANE costs $42,000 a year to operate and is funded partially through Women’s Aid’s own grants, as well as approximately $15,000 a year from SAPA’s grants.
Women’s Aid did not receive their grant this year.
If SANE is eliminated, survivors will have to receive treatment at the hospital instead.
When somebody goes to SANE, the examiners are incredibly in-tune to the emotions and trauma, but in the emergency room, they are not, Thompson said.
Before SANE, SAPA hosted fundraisers for students who could not afford hospital examination costs of $600 to $1,500. If they lose the grant, they will consider resuming such fundraisers.
Lansing graduate student Andrew Slater, who has been a SAPA for three years, said they will still help survivors if the grant is lost.
“We’re still going to be on call 24/7 as long as school’s in session and we’re doing an online advocacy starting Oct. 1," Slater said. "All that will stay the same."
The risk of losing the grant comes shortly following the time of Bruce Roscoe's resignation as Dean of Students.
“Dr. Roscoe had a whole lot of really positive attributes, but one thing that I recognized years ago was how much he truly cared about students,” Thompson said. “He cared about doing the right thing for students, and the right thing for students is SAPA.”
SAPA, which originated at CMU, is now the model for colleges nationally.
“I believe that our administration recognizes the level of prestige,” Thompson said. “I’m hoping that if we lose the grant that the university will say ‘wow, this is important for students’ and find money some place.”
SAPA is comprised of 45 student volunteers and receives 200 to 300 contacts a year.
If you are the victim of a sexual assault, SAPA can be reached at 989-774-CALL.
