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| Training & Events |
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Michigan OVW LE Training
March 9-10, 2010
VAWA LE Training
March 29, 2010
Enterprise, OR
VAWA SART Training
March 30, 2010
Enterprise, OR
SATI Oregon SART
Conference
April 21-23, 2010
Salem, OR
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SAVE THE DATES! |
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2010 SATF MEETING DATES
February 18th
April 1st
May 13th
June 17th
August 5th
September 16th
October 28th
December 9th |
| Staff Contact List |
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Office Phone Number:
(503) 990-6541
Christine Herrman
Executive Director
Scott Parsons
Development Director
Alexa Priddy
Sexual Assault Response Program Coordinator
June Harms
SANE Program Coordinator
Patti Kenyon
SANE Technical Assistance Coordinator
Cliff Leek
Prevention Specialist
Tamsyn Jameson
Program & Research Specialist
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| Greetings Task Force! |
 Christine Herrman, Executive Director
SATF Members and Friends,
What's happening with the staff at the SATF?
These are exciting times here at the SATF! I'm pleased to introduce three new staff members, all of whom joined us in January. We are now fully staffed, and anxious to see what 2010 brings.
 Scott Parsons is our new Development Director. Scott will be working part time with us, and continue his job as a professor at Portland State University. Scott, a lawyer, has spent the past seven years as the Chief Operations Officer and then Executive Director of Daywalka Foundation, a US-based NGO committed to ending human trafficking and modern day slavery by advancing the rule of law and equity for women and children in South Asia. He has a background in public health research, and while in law school provided direct support to survivors of sexual assault. Scott has a strong history of non-profit fundraising, including government grants and foundational support. He is very excited to join our staff, and already has a number of ideas for potential funding. scottparsons@oregonsatf.org
 Tamsyn Jameson joins us as Program and Research Assistant. She holds a master's degree in applied cultural anthropology from Oregon State University and in the past has conducted research into hunger and globalization. Before attending graduate school, she taught English for three years in rural Japan where she became proficient in Japanese. Tamsyn, whose passion is advocating against sexual violence, became aware of the Task Force through HB 2343 while working as a committee assistant at the Legislature last session. Besides supporting all the staff on special projects, Tamsyn will also design and spearhead the research element of the newly-funded Case Clearance Training Project. tamsynjameson@oregonsatf.org
 Cliff Leek is our new Prevention Specialist. Cliff graduated from Willamette University in December of 2009 with a degree in U.S. Race and Gender Studies. While a student at WU, he served as co-chair of the Men Against Violence group on campus. Cliff has been involved with the Task Force since last year when he and other students organized a campaign in support of the Task Force's legislation regarding the definition of mental incapacitation. Cliff brings his interest in engaging men and in exploring the intersections of oppression to the Task Force, and we're looking forward to him helping to expand our prevention efforts in these areas. cliffleek@oregonsatf.org
Changes in the SANE Program
Starting in January, Patti Kenyon transitioned to working as the SANE Technical Assistance Coordinator. In that capacity, she will continue working with SANEs statewide and nationally on issues of sustainability, process, standards, etc., and will offer technical assistance to the AGSATF and individual SANEs. Patti will continue to work with the Medical Forensic Committee and will work as an instructor for SATI.
June Harms has stepped into the role of SANE Program Coordinator, taking on those duties that Patti won't continue doing. June will coordinate and plan for the SANE program, coordinate and plan trainings, help with the development of and dissemination of resources, and help SANEs across the state network with one another. Also, June will provide the administrative and (non-medical) technical support to the SANE Certification Commission.
June will also continue her role as training and logistics guru with SATI. June will, however, slowly be transitioning those duties to Tamsyn, who will eventually take on the SATI position in order to free June up to work on the SANE program full time.
The AGSATF is as successful as it is because of the strength of the staff. The Task Force is privileged to have such talented and dedicated employees, all of whom bring incredible amounts of energy and experience to their jobs every day.
Please take a minute to thank our fabulous employees for all they do! |
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HB 2827 Becomes Law January 1, 2010 |
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By Randy Ellison, Guest Columnist
(HB 2827 extends statute of limitations for action based on conduct that constitutes child abuse or conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging child abuse.)
 It all started when a mother walked into the office of Rep. Andy Olson. She was frustrated and angry over her daughters' inability to seek justice for her sexual abuse as a child because the statute of limitations ran out before she even told anyone it had happened. Rep. Olson was so moved that he gathered the forces and wrote HB 2827. Not satisfied to quit there, the mother drove to Ashland and walked from one end of Oregon to the other. She wore a bright yellow t-shirt lettered in black that said "Stop Sexual Abuse of Children". Truckers honked. People stopped to talk to her. Newspapers and TV news interviewed her along the way. It took her a month and she did it all wearing a wig and using the alias Joan. She wanted her daughter to be able to remain anonymous and was afraid of reprisal by the perpetrator.
This woman's courage brought other victims forward to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Their personal stories of tragedy overshadowed the institutional objections to an extended period of liability. The final impetus that pushed this bill over the top came on the floor of the Senate where Senator Vickie Walker gave a courageous and impassioned speech describing her personal experience with child sex abuse.
The law changes the civil statute of limitations for action based on conduct that constitutes child abuse or conduct knowingly allowing, permitting or encouraging child abuse. Additionally, the bill requires that an action must be started before the victim attains 40 years of age, or not more than 5 years from the date the claimant discovered, or in the exercise of reasonable care, should have discovered a connection between the child abuse and injury, whichever period is longer.
These extensions in the statute of limitations provide an avenue for victims to seek justice after coming to terms with their abuse, which commonly happens later in life. Many of the victims and friends that gathered to help pass this bill have joined together to form a new non-profit called Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service, OAASIS (www.oaasisoregon.org ). They hope to help survivors, increase public awareness and advocate for stronger public policies and laws aimed at preventing child sexual abuse and protecting victims' rights.
Reverend Martin Luther King refers to the "community largely adjusted to the status quo, standing as a taillight behind others rather than a headlight leading (us) to higher levels of justice. Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or the extension of justice?" Thank you to the members of our State Legislature who moved this bill, especially Rep. Olson, the victims that spoke their truth, and most of all to the mother "Joan" for showing us how to be extremists for justice and becoming headlights.
Randy Ellison is a survivor from Ashland, who is starting a new career as a victim's advocate. One of his new roles is as director of the Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service (OAASIS) PAC. He can be reached at hrellison@ashlandnet.net. For more information about OAASIS visit their website at http://oaasisoregon.org/ |
| Prevention Power: Music and Musicians |
 I love music. Most of us do, but those of us in sexual violence prevention spend quite a bit of time criticizing it, with good reason. Byron Hurt's (www.bhurt.com) groundbreaking documentary: Hip Hop, Beyond Beats and Rhymes shows numerous examples of how music, in this case hip hop, can both reflect and support rape culture. Yet every time I've seen Byron present his film, he has also pointed out that an alternative does exist - hip hop filled with beautiful, positive, empowering messages. Not to mention that hip hop didn't start out this way. The problem? The industry doesn't support positive, socially conscious hip hop, so it is hard to find in the mainstream.
I think it's time to talk about the positive power of music and musicians.
 Music therapists understand the healing power of music. In fact, trusty Wikipedia tells me that music therapy has existed, since the 1940s, when the first undergraduate and graduate degrees in music therapy were offered. Undoubtedly, music is a fantastic tool for treatment, but what about prevention?
Prevention practitioners miss out on a huge opportunity by failing to engage musicians. Music and musical acts of all types make for powerful organizing tools. Not only do they come with ready-made audiences, but they are seen as the essence of cool. They define pop culture - the culture that informs how a lot of folks, especially youth, behave. Do you remember the sudden transition from baggy to skinny jeans, REALLY skinny jeans, in a particularly large subset of American youth? Thank musicians. Faux-hawks? Musicians. Youth emulate musical artists.
If we work with these artists, and the industries that produce them, to model and promote positive behaviors, in both their music and public image, we may truly attain a key to primary prevention -environmental change. But we don't have to start big. Youth especially enjoy local music. In fact the All Ages Music Project (AMP) exists to support and expand all ages music venues and programs, in an effort to connect and engage young people through music and art (www.allagesmovementproject.org/). In San Diego, youth from a local community successfully advocated for a teen club because there was nothing (healthy) for them to do after school and on the weekends. This club, The Epicentre (www.epicntreconcerts.org ), has become one of the main all-ages music venues in the city, drawing major acts such as Fall Out Boy.
I organized a rock concert for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week 2009. All I had to do was find one popular local band that agreed that dating violence was bad. That's it. In fact, the first band I recruited used their connections to book the other 4 bands for me! Quickly, the puzzle pieces fell into place and we ended up with a full house, resource tables complete with condoms and trained youth volunteers to answer questions, topically relevant youth-created art on the walls, and 5 local rock bands translating our message to the audience with an element of cool that we never could have achieved on our own. The entire process, from conception of the idea to the final outcome, took only one month (and we made $300)! Imagine what could be done with more time.
Musician input was key to our success. The planning committee came up with a number of ideas that, if we had not involved the musicians themselves, would have flopped. The bands were able to educate us about their audiences - what worked, what didn't. We may be the experts on the issues, but they know what speaks to their fans. When we partner, this is a very powerful combination.
I recently asked fans of a popular band to tweet about the influence the band has on them. One fan posted:
they r really sweet ppl & they allow me 2 b myself their my best friends The music is amazing & i hope for nothing but the best
This is just one example of the influence that musicians can have on their fans.
For assistance engaging musicians in your community, contact Ashley Maier, Prevention Program Coordinator, ashleymaier@oregonsatf.org. |
| Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force Statewide SART Conference |
  By Alexa Priddy and June Harms
The Sexual Assault Task Force is pleased to present the 4th Statewide Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Conference to be held April 21-23, 2010 at the Salem Conference Center in Salem. The Task Force holds a biennial statewide SART Conference on even years in support of local SART efforts. This conference includes plenary sessions for all participants as well as specific training tracks for law enforcement, victim advocates, medical professionals, prosecutors, offender management professionals, campus responders, and other professions involved with the response to and prevention of sexual assault.
Throughout the years, we have seen this conference grow and develop in many new and exciting ways. In 2002, the Task Force held our first SART Conference in Eugene with the theme, "A United Response." That year, our agency also published our first version of the SART Handbook and began presenting trainings under our new Sexual Assault Training Institute (SATI). It was a year of many firsts for the Task Force, and the theme of "A United Response" symbolized the work we were doing throughout the state as well as our hopes for what was to come.
The years to follow brought great strides in the development of SARTs in Oregon. The Task Force began work on a SART Training that would demonstrate a model response from first disclosure to trial preparation. In 2004, the SART Conference focused on "Improving the Response to Oregon's Vulnerable Populations." We welcomed many nationally recognized speakers, including Dr. David Lisak, Heather Kamper, and Marc LeBeau. As an organization and state, we had just seen the creation of the SAVE Fund the year before and we were anticipating new ways to improve the response to sexual assault victims.
The 2006 SART Survey, published in version two of the SART Handbook, revealed that two thirds of Oregon counties had SARTs in various stages of development. At the same time, the Task force was preparing for the SART Conference that focused that year on "A Collaborative Response to Sex Offenders." Following the conference, from 2007 to the present, SATI has presented regional SART Trainings and emphasized the victim-centered and offender-focused response to sexual assault.
In 2009, version three of the SART Handbook was printed and work began on a second SART Survey to be published and distributed at the upcoming SART Conference. The theme of the 4th Statewide SART Conference is "Building an Inclusive and Sustainable Community Response." We are committed to providing conference offerings that will address a broad range of issues pertaining to the multidisciplinary response to sexual assault and the best practices for each discipline. We hope to provide a dual focus on issues of SART development and sustainability as well as on how SARTs can develop inclusive practices that serve all the diverse members of their community. Featured speakers include Sally Laskey from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Mónica Ramírez, creator of the Bandana Project and currently working with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Russell Strand who is the head of the U.S. Military Police School's Family Advocacy Law Enforcement Division.
As we continue to evolve our SART efforts, we hope that you and your community responders will join us at the SART Conference in April! Conference registration will be available online on February 1, 2010 at: www.oregonsatf.org.
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| Membership Program News - Task Force Basics 101 or Task Force Refresher |
 By Judy Hays, Membership Specialist
Lots to learn when you're the new kid on the block and after six months, I still feel like the new kid. If you are new to the Task Force or one of the Committees (or both!) you know what I mean. Let's make this newsletter article an opportunity to share some "basic" information. And, if you're an old-timer, we'll call it a "refresher." Let's start with the big picture!
The Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force looks like this!
 Questions?
What is the difference between an Appointed Task Force member and a Committee member?
Appointed Task Force members --
· are appointed by the Attorney General;
· serve a two-year term;
· participate on a committee if there is a vacancy within their expertise;
· have voting privileges on issues relevant to the general body of the Task Force (e.g., bylaw changes, position papers, legislative concepts, etc).
Committee members -
· are appointed by the Attorney General and Committee Chair(s);
· serve a two-year term of participation on a committee;
· have voting privileges within their given committee.
How do I renew my membership?
The second term renewal is automatic if a member is in "good standing." If a member decides to participate for a third term, the renewal requires a committee recommendation and approval by the Steering Committee.
What does "good standing" mean?
Good standing for Task Force membership is defined as attending at least two-thirds of the Task Force and relevant committee meetings and not missing more than two consecutive meetings. Exceptions for missing meetings are made in cases of illness or family emergencies.
Good standing for committee membership is defined as attending at least two-thirds of the committee meetings and not missing more than two consecutive committee meetings. Exceptions for missing meetings are made in cases of illness or family emergencies.
What if I want to change committees?
Appointed Task Force members:
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contact the Membership Specialist to see if there are any slot openings on the committee of interest;
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contact the staff liaison and committee chair of your current committee to let her or him know that you would like to resign from your current committee slot.
Committee members:
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re-apply for committee membership. Your application will be reviewed and approved or denied by the new committee;
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if approved, the committee recommendation will be forwarded to the Steering Committee for final approval.
What is the purpose of the Steering Committee?
The purpose of the Steering Committee is to provide guidance to the work of the Task Force. Its membership is generally comprised of committee chairs/co-chairs (or a designee of their choice), the Attorney General or designee, and the Task Force Executive Director. Steering Committee membership is limited to appointed Task Force members.
The Steering Committee -
· determines agendas for Task Force meetings and educational sessions;
· reviews new member applications and makes recommendations;
· acts as an advisory body to the Task Force staff.
What is the relationship between the Task Force Board of Directors, staff, and Task Force members?
Committee members advise the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee acts as an advisory body to the Task Force staff. The Executive Director oversees the Task Force staff, and the Board of Directors oversees the Executive Director.
What is the role of a Staff Liaison?
It is the duty of the staff liaison to ensure the work of the committee gets carried out in a timely manner. In this capacity, staff liaisons do the following:
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Attend Committee meetings.
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Take minutes during the meeting.
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Execute follow-up/interim work not assigned to committee members.
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Coordinate with committee chair/co-chairs to develop agendas.
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Send out meeting minutes and agendas to committee members.
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Coordinate with the Membership Coordinator to facilitate membership issues (appointments, re-appointments, terminations, slot proposals, etc).
What is the role of the Committee Chair/Co-Chair?
It is the role of the Chair/Co-Chair to:
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Attend Steering Committee meetings.
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Attend general Task Force meetings to provide a brief committee reports to the Task Force.
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Attend committee meetings to facilitate the group discussion, model productive meeting behavior, encourage member participation and coordinate with the staff liaison to develop the agenda, handouts and other materials for the meetings.
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Become familiar with and implement TF policies (i.e., membership and mentoring policies).
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Take leadership in the determination of committee work plan.
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Direct work plan activities, including assigning work to committee members.
How are Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs selected?
Individuals are selected as committee chairs and vice chairs based on their demonstrated expertise and leadership skills. Committee chairs must be appointed Task Force members. There are two ways in which recommendations for a committee chair-ship or vice chair-ship are put forth to the Steering Committee:
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Most often, individuals are identified by the staff liaison and current committee chair/co-chair as having the necessary knowledge, time and skills for guiding and implementing the committee's work. In the case of vice chairs, staff and the committee chair will work together to make a recommendation. Recommendations are then forwarded to the Steering Committee for final approval.
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If no such individual is identified by staff, then an offer will be put out to the Task Force and committee members for interested individuals to nominate themselves or others. Depending on how many individuals are nominated, the committee may develop an "application" and then vote on applicants. In consultation with staff, the committee will then develop a recommendation to be forwarded to the Steering Committee for final approval.
What is the role of a Committee Member?
· Attend committee meetings.
· Participate in development of committee work plan.
· Conduct committee work.
How do I suggest a topic for the Task Force agenda?
If you would like to suggest a topic for the Task Force Agenda, please contact the Executive Director. The suggestion will be sent to the Membership Coordinator to forward onto the Steering Committee for final approval.
How do I suggest a topic for the Committee agenda?
If you would like to suggest a topic for the committee agenda, please contact the Committee Chair or the Staff liaison. The Staff liaison will refer the request for final approval contact to the committee chair.
What is the policy on inviting guests to the Task Force and/or committee meetings?
Task Force and committee meetings are open to the public. However, we encourage regular guests to submit applications for membership as the Task Force's limited resources are used to support the work of the members. | |
| Committee Reports |
Campus Committee
Current projects of the CC include developing a position paper on punitive responses in sexual assault cases involving underage drinking conduct code violations, collaboration with the Prevention and Education Committee on Sexual Assault Awareness Month planning, and development of the Campus SART Handbook. The CC also held Co-Chair elections and is pleased to announce our incoming Co-Chairs Scott Etherton from OSU and Melissa Osmond from Lewis & Clark. In the coming months, we will begin planning for a Campus Committee Planning Retreat along with other exciting new initiatives. Criminal Justice Committee
The Criminal Justice Committee welcomed Suzy Isham, DPSST Regional Training The Criminal Justice Committee welcomed Suzy Isham, DPSST Regional Training Supervisor, as a new member. The CJC has been moving closer to finalizing an updated police officer Sexual Assault Investigative checklist that was first distributed several years ago. We continue to work on a survey that will go out to Law Enforcement and Prosecutor's Offices across the state to gauge training needs for the upcoming year(s). In particular, we are seeking feedback on the possibility of web-based training. We have finalized an updated recruitment letter in an effort to fill certain open committee positions. This month, we also met jointly with the Medical Forensic Committee to discuss a number of issues of significance to both committees..
Legislative and Public Policy Committee
The LPP committee is continuing to research legislative concepts for the 2011 session. If you have anything you'd like us to consider, please contact Christine Herrman at
503-990-6541 or SaraBeth Labberton at 503-378-1572. Medical Forensic Committee
Recently the Medical Forensic Committee has been collaborating with representatives from the Oregon State Crime Lab to revise the checklist included in the sexual assault forensic kit, in an attempt to aid sexual assault examiners in their forensic evidence collection. Additionally, and in collaboration with the crime lab, the MFC has begun work on a feedback tool to provide feedback to examiners regarding the quantity and quality of evidence collected. Finally, a subgroup of SANE programs and the MFC is beginning to work on data collection for the purposes of SANE quality assurance.
Offender Management Committee
Last Fall, the Offender Management Committee sent out a survey to task force members to assess the level of interest on issues related to our committee and about sex offenders in general. The OMC has reviewed the results from the survey and will use it to develop our scheduled presentation to the task force on April 1, 2010. We also continue to work on a position paper which will describe various sex offender treatment outcomes at discharge. This paper is intended to provide to decision-makers, such as child protective agencies and members of the legal community, information that can help assess the extent to which progress has been made by an offender who has had involvement in sex offender treatment. The OMC looks forward to a meeting with the Criminal Justice Committee next month to explore a potential project partnership. Last, but not least, the OMC recruited two new members this past quarter (Welcome Scott and Wendy) and we continue to seek to fill our remaining vacancies.
Prevention and Education Committee
The PEC continues to grow, welcoming several new members, including Rose Wilde from DHS and Nancy Greenman from DOJ. The committee is in the process of defining its objectives and goals as it outlines its work plan for 2010. The PEC is enthusiastic about incorporating prevention into SATI via a series of webinars beginning February 26th from 11-12:30 (registration available on www.oregonsatf.org in February). The committee has also begun a series of activities in support of the execution of the Statewide Prevention Plan, including identifying and assessing outcome indicators.
Victim Response Committee
The Victim Response Committee (VRC) is working on finishing our remaining work plan items from 2009: distributing a survey to determine which communities may not be accessing traditional sexual assault support services throughout the state, some best practice ideas for client intake forms, ideas for individual SART protocols and completing a position paper about mandated reporting in the state of Oregon. With these final work plan items currently in their final stages, we will set out to create our work plan for 2010. Some ideas for 2010 include: utilizing the survey data we collect to create information about culturally specific and appropriate outreach strategies for agencies, examining possible methods for pursuing advocate privilege in Oregon and researching funding options to update and expand the current "Oregon Voices" survivor vignettes. |
The Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization separate from, but working under the auspices of, Oregon's Attorney General.
The mission of the Oregon Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force is to facilitate and support a collaborative, victim-centered approach to the prevention of and response to adolescent and adult sexual violence.
Help support the work of the Task Force with a tax-deductible donation! Click here to learn more.
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