UW-Oshkosh will end its partnership with Reach Counseling — the service that has provided the campus with sexual violence and assault support for more than 15 years.
The university made this decision to increase financial stability, Fox11 News reported. Since Reach Counseling’s partnership with UW-Oshkosh was funded through grants, re-applying for this grant money each year isn’t something the university can depend on, Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Art Munin said.
“This position needed to be something that we could absolutely know would have ongoing funding,” Munin told Fox11 News.
Without Reach Counseling, UW-Oshkosh will have a university employee advising victims of sexual assault and violence.
The switch from an external organization to an internal employee is troubling for Reach Counseling Advocacy Director Marianne Radley.
“We weren't tied to the university, so we weren't biased in protecting an institution or an organization," Radley told Fox11 News. "And … we weren't mandated reporters. So that’s what students told us, we didn't have to report to the dean or any other entities on campus.”
However, UW-Oshkosh said the new counseling employee is not a mandated reporter, so students won’t have to worry about their experiences being shared without consent.
The majority of UW System schools handle sexual violence and assault counseling through their universities’ health centers, whose websites also include information about external resources, such as RAINN or a local support service.
UW-Oshkosh’s Campus Victim Prevention Program website also lists community resources for survivors of sexual assault, which is where information about Reach Counseling has been moved.
The one remaining UW System campus still collaborating with an outside provider of sexual assault and violence counseling is UW-Superior, which uses CASDA — the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse — in partnership with its Gender Equity Resource Center.
The UW System had a total of 1,095 reported sexual assaults across all campuses in 2018, according to System data.
