Throughout the last few months, SAFER has had the privilege of working closely with members of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s and Senator Claire McCaskill’s staff to develop survivor-centric legislation aimed at reducing campus sexual assault and holding colleges and universities accountable to federal laws designed to regulate institutional treatment of survivors.

Yesterday, Senator Gillibrand, Senator McCaskill, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Heller, Senator Rubio, Senator Grassley and Senator Ayotte announced The Campus Accountability and Safety Act, (the CASAct) a bipartisan bill to combat campus sexual violence, support survivors, and hold colleges and universities accountable to their students and to federal law.

The bill, if passed, will mandate national climate surveys of college students on their experiences with campus sexual assault, increase fines for violating the Clery Act, change penalties for Title IX violations, require more disclosure on the part of the Department of Education on investigations it conducts under Title IX, establish mandatory confidential advisor positions for all institutions, and require institutions to form memorandums of understanding with local law enforcement. Throughout the bill, a focus on establishing trauma-informed systems at institutions of higher education remains prominent. Additionally, the language and content of the bill reinforces Senator Gillibrand and Senator McCaskill’s commitment to centering survivor needs.

SAFER was pleased see to see that the CASAct did not include mandatory reporting of campus sexual assaults to local law enforcement. Mandatory notification to law enforcement would have a chilling effect on reporting, which would reduce the identification of offenders, create barriers for survivors to access support services, and prevent survivors from achieving justice in ways most comfortable for them.

It is clear that SAFER’s input was heard and integrated into the CASAct, a bill that we believe is an important and positive step forward in the movement to combat campus sexual violence and to support survivors. 

It is our hope that the CASAct will become law and require colleges and universities to adopt survivor-centric policies and procedures that reduce campus sexual violence and support those students who have been affected by sexual assault. At the same time, SAFER knows there is more reform work to be done, and believes the bill will inspire the continued work of the already empowered community of student sexual violence prevention activists returning to campus this fall.

SAFER looks forward to our continued involvement in the legislative process surrounding The Campus Accountability and Safety Act and will remain vigilant in our support of campus sexual assault survivors and their allies.

A message from outgoing Board Chair, Selena Shen,

I first joined the SAFER’s Board of Directors more than three and a half years ago. At the time, the organization was brimming with excitement over the Dear Colleague letter and the prospect of the Campus SaVE Act.

Over time, the national dialogue around campus sexual assault has grown, evolved and become increasingly thoughtful and nuanced. I am so proud that SAFER has been an integral part of this evolution. But even more importantly, I am proud of the students that have elevated the conversation to the national spotlight and underscored the indispensability of the student voice.

Time and time again, student activists have shown sophistication in their message, collaboration in their organizing and resilience in the face of adversity. Now, we are at a watershed moment catalyzed by students on the ground, who are living the realities of campus sexual assault every day.

SAFER was built on the principle that all students have the right to a safe campus. Since the organization’s founding, we have solidified ourselves as the go-to experts on student organizing, campus policy and grassroots activism. As I step down as SAFER’s Board Chair and from its Board of Directors, I am deeply honored and humbled to have had the unique privilege to work alongside the most groundbreaking advocates in the country, and am electrified by the national momentum to create violence-free campuses for all.

Thank you,
Selena Shen

A message from incoming Board Chair, Tracey E. Vitchers

It is with both sadness and excitement that I step into the role of Board Chair for SAFER. Our outgoing Chair, Selena Shen, is a tremendous leader, activist and friend whose guidance and support will continue to drive SAFER forward in the months and years to come. And, it is with much excitement that I will continue to be a part of the SAFER journey in my new role as Board Chair.

When I joined the SAFER Board of Directors in the fall of 2012 as Communications Coordinator I could not have foreseen the wave of national student activism that would build over the next two years, bringing the epidemic of campus sexual assault to forefront of discussions at The White House, Congress, the mainstream media and colleges and universities across the country. It has been humbling to watch as countless survivors have stood up and spoken out about their assaults and against the mistreatment they faced by college administrators in an inspiring effort to demand change.

Since its founding at Columbia University by student activists in 2000, it has been with great privilege that SAFER has played an integral role in supporting the student activists across the country who have lobbied their their institutions and their government for change. I look forward to working with our passionate and dedicated Board of Directors to continue to support student anti-sexual violence activists to create change on campuses across the nation.

I look forward to continuing our journey together.

In solidarity,

Tracey E. Vitchers

**Disclaimer: Two members of the SAFER board are employees with Sexual Health Innovations. SAFER is not affiliated with Sexual Health Innovations. Our advertising of this focus group does not equal an endorsement of Sexual Health Innovations or its projects.**

From Sexual Health Innovations:

Sexual Health Innovations, a non-profit dedicated to creating technology that improves sexual health and wellbeing, is creating a new sexual assault reporting system for college campuses. The primary goal of the system, Callisto, is to improve the reporting experience and to give survivors more agency in the reporting process.

Before we start building the system, we want to make sure we create something that will truly work for the people that will need it: college sexual assault survivors. To do this, we are holding a series of focus group for young women and men (ages 18-30) that experienced sexual assault  or non-consensual sexual contact while in college. The next focus group will meet in New York City on Tuesday, July 1st, from 6:30-9pm. It will be informal and confidential–we want to discuss the journey of processing an assault, to learn about participants’ ideal resolution and reporting systems, and to receive input into our proposed system. The focus group will be led by members of the Sexual Health Innovation’s team, Jess Ladd, a college sexual assault survivor, and Tracey Vitchers. Both Jess and Tracey are sexual violence prevention activists.

If you are interested in joining for this or future meetings of this focus group, email Jess at and we will send you details about the confidential location ASAP.

Please keep in mind that we need to keep this focus group a safe space for everyone involved and upholding confidentiality for participants will be of the utmost importance. Hostile or aggressive behavior will not be tolerated and will result in your immediate removal.

10 Student Sexual Assault Prevention Activists to Know!

Throughout the course of the last year, we at SAFER have proudly watched numerous student sexual assault prevention activists speak out against the prevalence of sexual assault on their campuses and call for changes to college and universities policies regarding sexual violence.

In honor of Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month, SAFER will highlight 10 student sexual assault prevention activists around the nation who are creating change on their campus!

Founders of Silence is Violence, Wesleyan University

Four undergraduate students, Mari Jarris ’14, Chloe Murtagh ’15, John Nelson ’16, and Lynn Ma ’16, at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, launched the website Silence is Violence to feature testimonials of survivors of sexual assault and student-submitted quotes of overheard conversations on campus that they found triggering or offensive. While the quotes are definitely triggering, they highlight the insensitivity often shown towards sexual assault survivors and the aggressive language by assailants.

SAFER provides student activists with a variety of resources, including the Activist Resource Center, which is our online library of sexual assault-related information and resources; on-campus Teach-Ins for student activists, which are led by skilled facilitators and equip students with the skills and information needed to bring about policy reforms and change; and, our Activist Mentoring Program (AMP!), which is our free mentoring service that provides students with continued support after they have completed an on-campus Teach-In.

10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know

By Jessica Torres

April is Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month and in honor of all the hard work that has been done and will be done by college sexual assault prevention activists, SAFER has put together a “Top 10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know.” We will be posting one of the ten ideas/suggestions/concepts each day for the first ten days of #SAAM. Please check our blog and our social media for each day’s idea!

Systems and traditions that allow and reinforce rape culture don’t exist in a vacuum; rape culture is informed by everyday microaggressions, historic disenfranchisement of specific groups (like women, LGBT folks, and people of color), and quite frankly, it’s a symptom of larger problems we often don’t have the language to discuss. Here are 10 things that all sexual violence prevention activists should know and consider as they further their efforts to build stronger and long-lasting policies that both reflect and challenge the needs and understanding of sexual assault for students on college campuses.

5. Measuring success

-plan your next 10 steps as thoroughly as possible, the big picture will come together only if you commit to this mentality. The only way up a mountain is to climb 10 steps at a time.

-live for the seemingly small successes because they matter too. They create the opportunities for deeper impact. Build an arsenal of proven facts.

-failure is also normal, that’s why those ten steps are so important.

-remember that successful movements of any kind do not have a continuous forward momentum. You may win a big victory or get a large public outpouring of support for your cause, and then things will cool off for a while. Do not get discouraged in the cooling off period, this is exactly what is supposed to happen. Take stock of your new resources and start to plan again for the next challenge.

6. Building relationships with unexpected allies and stakeholders

-connect with department heads, alumni, and local community members. These folks will most likely be, or have been around, longer than you.

-don’t just preach to the choir!

-make sure their needs are included and represented, everyone is a stakeholder. If folks can’t see themselves in your cause, it’ll be harder for them to understand why it matters. As Simon Sinek said in his TEDx talk, people follow why not what you do.

-reach out early asking for a low level of commitment. This will put you and your efforts on the radar so when you need a higher level of commitment you already have your foot in the door.

10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know

By Jessica Torres

April is Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month and in honor of all the hard work that has been done and will be done by college sexual assault prevention activists, SAFER has put together a “Top 10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know.” We will be posting one of the ten ideas/suggestions/concepts each day for the first ten days of #SAAM. Please check our blog and our social media for each day’s idea!

Systems and traditions that allow and reinforce rape culture don’t exist in a vacuum; rape culture is informed by everyday microaggressions, historic disenfranchisement of specific groups (like women, LGBT folks, and people of color), and quite frankly, it’s a symptom of larger problems we often don’t have the language to discuss. Here are 10 things that all sexual violence prevention activists should know and consider as they further their efforts to build stronger and long-lasting policies that both reflect and challenge the needs and understanding of sexual assault for students on college campuses.

4. Self-preservation

-check in with yourself regularly and with others; seriously make time for yourself every day, even if it’s just 10 minutes, sit in silence. Be in your head. Reflect. Heal. This is triggering, dark, and emotional work: you’re allowed to be human.

-connect with your fellow activists on a personal level. It’s okay to be friends-that’s how you understand the decisions they make and the driving factors behind their activism.

-understand your capacity and be honest about how much you can manage. Being a student is a full-time job already, respect your boundaries and be sure not to sacrifice other aspects of your life. This work is important, but so is your mental health.

-seek support like long-term counseling and if you’re triggered, allow yourself to be present in that pain. It takes immense amounts of strength and courage to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; it’s normal to be vulnerable because it helps you become stronger.

-don’t allow negative people to rent space in your head. It’s okay to eliminate toxic personalities or groups from your personal or activist space. Anyone who makes you feel inferior or that your ideas are not of value are not the kind of individual(s) you want to focus your energies on.

10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know

By Jessica Torres

April is Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month and in honor of all the hard work that has been done and will be done by college sexual assault prevention activists, SAFER has put together a “Top 10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know.” We will be posting one of the ten ideas/suggestions/concepts each day for the first ten days of #SAAM. Please check our blog and our social media for each day’s idea!

Systems and traditions that allow and reinforce rape culture don’t exist in a vacuum; rape culture is informed by everyday microaggressions, historic disenfranchisement of specific groups (like women, LGBT folks, and people of color), and quite frankly, it’s a symptom of larger problems we often don’t have the language to discuss. Here are 10 things that all sexual violence prevention activists should know and consider as they further their efforts to build stronger and long-lasting policies that both reflect and challenge the needs and understanding of sexual assault for students on college campuses.

2. Bring silent voices into the conversation

-who isn’t at the table? Why? How do we bring them into the conversation?

-when coming up with publicity strategies, diversify your approach to draw in as many folks possible but of course, be sure to build a consistent brand.

10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know

By Jessica Torres, SAFER Student Outreach Coordinator

April is Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month and in honor of all the college sexual assault prevention activists SAFER has put together a “Top 10 Things All Sexual Violence Prevention Activists Should Know.” We will be posting one of the ten ideas/suggestions/concepts each day for the first ten days of #SAAM. Please check our blog and our social media for each day’s idea!

Systems and traditions that allow and reinforce rape culture don’t exist in a vacuum; rape culture is informed by everyday microaggressions, historic disenfranchisement of specific groups (like women, LGBT folks, and people of color), and quite frankly, it’s a symptom of larger problems we often don’t have the language to discuss. Here are 10 things that all sexual violence prevention activists should know and consider as they further their efforts to build stronger and long-lasting policies that both reflect and challenge the needs and understanding of sexual assault for students on college campuses.

#1: Finding Funding 

-be specific about where exactly those funds are going when soliciting funds.

-use this as an opportunity to collaborate and build long-term relationships with other interest groups on campus; pool funds and co-sponsor events.

-get creative!  Throw socials and create incentives to capitalize on how people would be spending their money anyway; you’re seeking to make meaning out of the everyday.

-be aware that some interest groups may be competing for resources, do not let that become a reason for negativity between groups. We’re all swimming in the same pool.