Confidentiality is crucial for survivors of sexual violence. But navigating which resources on a college campus are truly confidential can be difficult for students.

The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC) wants students, faculty, and staff to know that their services, both on and off campus, are completely confidential.

“The university has a different confidentiality role and I will leave it to them to explain, but for us, any communication with a survivor that is an adult over the age of 18, we will not share any information with the university without a signed release,” said WASAC Executive Director Kathy Williams.

“We will not share information with law enforcement. We just plain don’t talk to folks unless the survivor provides that release with specific information about what will be shared. Confidentiality is different at WSU.”

Title IX and the presence of mandated reporters on campus can confuse people. A victim may think they are confiding in someone who will keep their confidentiality while that confidant may not be able to do so legally.

Located on the third floor of Lindquist Hall, the WASAC Campus Outreach Office opened about a year ago to bring their services to campus, making it easier for students, faculty, and staff to get the help they need after a sexual assault.

“I want students to be able to distinguish advocates from WASAC, which are very confidential, as opposed to an advocate on campus — they may have to share information,” Williams said. It’s just a difference in services. I’m not saying one is good and one is bad.”

Natasha Stephens serves as the Title IX Coordinator at WSU. When asked to clarify the university’s role on confidentiality matters, she responded by highlighting some of the points of the current WSU Title IX policies.

“Privacy and confidentiality have distinct meanings under this policy,” Stephens said in an email. “Privacy generally means that information related to a report of misconduct will only be shared with a limited number of individuals. The use of this information is limited to those university employees who need to know in order to assist in the review, investigation, or resolution of the report.

“While not bound by confidentiality, these individuals will be discreet and respect the privacy of individuals involved in the process.”

The university policy also states: “Information shared by an individual with designated campus or community professionals who are acting within the scope of their professional credentialing is considered confidential. These campus and community professionals include licensed health care professionals, ordained clergy, and attorneys who are required to follow professional rules of conduct and laws that control the disclosure of confidential information.”

That’s where WASAC comes in.

Graduate student Natalia Jaramillo was hired this week as the WASAC campus coordinator for Wichita State and Friends University. She has worked for WASAC for the past year answering phones for their 24-hour hotline. Her new role is outreach advocate, specializing in outreach to college campuses.

Jaramillo said she hops to develop new programs to educate members of the campus community about sexual violence.

“In addition, I wish to create a safe place for survivors to visit and learn about the resources available to them in our agency, community, and campus,” Jaramillo said.

Because Jaramillo will officially begin her on-campus work Sept. 4, she does not yet have office hours at WSU. In the meantime, anyone who needs assistance can call WASAC’s 24-hour hotline.

If you call the hotline, you can expect “that a trained advocate will be responding and assisting with questions, safety planning and helping [the caller] figure out what the next steps are,” Williams said.

It does not have to be a current emergency either.

“It can be about a crisis that happened in the past or that is resurfacing,” Williams said.

“We get calls from people where some kind of sexual violence has just happened. But we also receive those calls from 10 or 15, and in one case 30 years ago. We’re here so that person can begin the process of healing by talking about it,” Williams said.

Statistically, college campuses are places where sexual assault and stalking occur at notably higher rates than in other communities. Sexual violence can cause a host of long-term struggles for students and students who experience this are more likely to act out, fail classes, and leave school altogether.

Jaramillo has experience working with survivors of sexual violence.

“This past year, I’ve been working directly with survivors, providing medical advocacy and hotline services,” Jaramillo said. “Through these means, we provide a safe space for survivors to start their healing process and know what resources are available to them here in the community.”

Jaramillo is also a graduate student in the Masters of Social Work program, so she has some familiarity with campus culture.

“Being able to work on campus is such a big deal to me because it will make it easier for people to reach out to us, and who knows, we might be that little push someone needs to start healing,” Jaramillo said.

Jaramillo will be at WSU from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays.

WASAC Main office: 355 N. Waco, Suite 100

Crisis Line: 316-263-1085

Toll Free: 1-877-WASAC4U

Website: http://wichitasac.com/

WASAC Campus office: 301 Lindquist Hall