Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force Connections E-Newsletter

Christine Herrman, ORSATF Executive Director

Spring always brings such promise -- sunshine, the hint of summer, maybe a vacation. For ORSATF staff, it seems spring always brings change. This year, we said goodbye to Jennifer Ditter and Ashley Maier, and welcomed Robin Olafson, Nancy Greenman, and Jonathan Gates. I've been honored to be able to work with such talented and dedicated folks at the ORSATF, and these new additions are no exception -- we are lucky to have them on our team!

The ORSATF staff has been busy traveling, presenting at conferences, and training responders and preventionists in Oregon and nationwide. This spring has taken staff members to Spokane WA, San Diego CA, Cody WY, Vancouver WA, Port Gamble WA, and Clackamas, Corvallis, Seaside, Newport, LaGrande, Portland, Oregon City, and Beaverton in Oregon. In the next few months, we'll be in Chicago IL, New Orleans LA, Napa Valley CA, Missoula MT, Little Rock AR, Fairmont WV, and many locations around Oregon. We are thrilled to be able to provide the services we do, and I think we all have a little bit of wanderlust in us, since we seem to enjoy the frequent road trips!

In February, we trained 28 new SANE nurses. In March, we were able to provide SART training to five teams from around Oregon -- from Columbia, Crook, Hood River, Klamath and Lane Counties. We provided SART training to three tribes -- Warm Springs, Tulalip, and Suquamish -- in May, and will be doing SANE training for tribal folks in September. We will be holding another Oregon SANE training soon, probably in July (if you would like to be included in this training, please email Jenna). We are here to help your county establish its SART team and protocols (see Robin's article, below), so if you would like Jenna to come to your community, please let us know. And we just learned that we will be able to hold an Advocate Training this year -- most likely in October. Watch your email for more information!

In the Prevention world, Jonathan Gates will be concentrating on the Oregon Men Against Violence Initiative. The RPE applications are currently open, and Nancy Greenman is available if you have questions about your prevention project ideas. New RPE projects will start in November, 2012.

We were pleased to host the first forum in the nation for candidates for state Attorney General to address issues of concern to crime victims and victim advocates in April. We are looking forward to working with Ellen Rosenblum when she takes office!

Of course, we couldn't do any of this without you -- thank you for your ongoing support and involvement. We look forward to an exciting and productive summer!

Meet Our New Prevention Program Coordinator!

Nancy Greenman, ORSATF Prevention Program Coordinator

Nancy

Greetings! I think that many of you reading this already know me from my work with the Crime Victims' Services Division of Oregon Department of Justice. I arrived with the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund (your tax dollars!) and had the honor of coordinating that fund for my ten years at CVSD. I had the opportunity to travel throughout the state and to learn about the many rural, frontier and urban communities that make up Oregon, and to understand the challenges victims and survivors face and the resources upon which they draw in seeking safety from violence.

Prior to my time in Oregon, I lived and worked in the California Bay Area. My work there included managing the desegregation program for the Berkeley public schools, and working as a consultant for other Bay Area urban school districts. I'm originally from New York and went to college and law school in Massachusetts, where I worked as a social worker, lawyer and community organizer.

Primary prevention of violence against women -- changing the conditions that make sexual violence possible -- is where I began many years ago, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to take up this work anew. I'm equally delighted to be a part of ORSATF, which I have supported and admired for the past ten years. I see the ways in which SATF members address the root causes of violence in your daily work, and I look forward to supporting you in those efforts. The six projects currently supported by the Rape Prevention and Education funds have engaged youth and communities in a range of efforts I hope we can share in the months to come. Earlier this month, we issued the Request for Applications for the next cycle of RPE funds. Watch for webinars designed to help with project and application development!

Finally, it is my good fortune to follow in the footsteps of Ashley Maier, whose vision and leadership left the Prevention Program strong and vibrant, and with an array of possibilities to challenge the causes of gendered violence and to build safe and healthy communities.

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Law Enforcement Training and Capacity Building Project (LETCBP)

Jenna Harper, ORSATF Training Coordinator

Jenna

Here at the Task Force we are preparing for our two new Sexual Assault Training Institute (SATI) projects to come into full swing. In our last newsletter, I wrote about the Northwest Collaboration Against Sexual Assault in Tribal Communities Project. The other grant we received and big project we are working on is our National Law Enforcement Training & Capacity Building Project (LETCBP). For LETCBP, we will be providing law enforcement training on sexual assault response and investigation to 14 sites around the nation. By using a train-the-trainer model, our project not only provides expert training, but helps states and regions to build their own sustainable law enforcement training program. In our first round of training, SATI will be traveling to California, Minnesota, West Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina. We are excited and grateful to be back on a national scale bringing victim-centered principles and best practice investigative techniques to the rest of the nation!

SANE Logo

Implementing SB557

Robin Olafson, SANE Program Coordinator

Robin & Seattle CRAB!!

Spring has sprung....kind of!We are into a new season here at the Sexual Assault Task Force. The weather outside may still be frightful, but in the office we are abuzz with activity!After practicing as a SANE for 10 years, and being certified for seven years, I was given the opportunity to join the SATF/SATI team. I look forward to working with all of you, and am so appreciative to work with such an amazing community. Looking ahead, we have many great things brewing and I can't wait to embark on our new adventures!

You may or may not be aware of three recent laws that will be affecting your practice as a nurse in Oregon. Senate Bill 557 specifically addresses communities and facilities regarding the requirement for Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), and the use of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) by defined facilities. House Bill 2940 addresses the crime of strangulation and the elevation of its criminal status from a misdemeanor to a felony in certain circumstances. House Bill 2014A addresses the expansion of the mandatory reporting laws by registered nurses.In this article I will specifically address Senate Bill 557.

Senate Bill 557 has several specific requirements and deadlines for communities and facilities. This bill does define differing deadlines for urban vs. rural communities. I will briefly touch on the development of a SART, which will consist of "a representative of the district attorney's office; representative of a prosecution-based victim's assistance program; a SANE; local law enforcement agency representatives; and a representative from a non-profit agency providing victim services." This community SART formation has a deadline of December 31, 2012.

Now for the area that may affect you as a nurse. Each facility in Oregon will "adopt, in addition to the facility's own guidelines, the State of Oregon Medical Guideline for Sexual Assault Evaluation of Adolescent and Adult Patients developed and published by the Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force." They must also "employ or contract with at least one sexual assault forensic examiner who has completed didactic training sufficient to satisfy the training requirement for certification by the Oregon SAE/SANE Certification Commission established by the Attorney General." It is no longer acceptable to have a nurse in your facility who has gone through the 40 hour didactic course teach you. If you intend on performing a sexual assault exam YOU MUST complete a 40-hour didactic course in sexual assault examination. If you do perform a sexual assault exam without this requirement you will not only be breaking the law per 557, you could be disciplined by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. According to Marilyn McGuire-Sessions of the OSBN, your nursing license could have "Conduct Derogatory" issues applied to it:"It would be the individual nurses that are practicing without sufficient training that would have consequences." In urban communities the deadline for facilities to comply with this portion of the bill is December 31 2012; in rural communities the date to comply is December 31, 2013.

If you have questions about SB557, or any aspect of your SANE practice, feel free to call me!

Meet Our New Prevention Specialist!

Jonathan Gates, Prevention Specialist

Hello everyone! My name is Jonathan Gates, and I am the new Prevention Specialist with the Task Force. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'i, and moved to Oregon in 2008 to attend Willamette University for my undergraduate education. I was introduced to the struggle to stop violence against women during my first year at Willamette, when a friend invited me to a meeting of the Willamette University Men Against Violence (WUMAV) student group. I ultimately joined, remained a member for the rest of my time at Willamette, and for my last two years served as a co-chair of the group. Through my participation in the group, I also had the good fortune to meet my friend and mentor Cliff Leek, who was co-chair at the time I joined and is also my predecessor as Prevention Specialist at the Task Force.

My involvement in WUMAV helped lay the foundation for the development of my academic and extracurricular pursuits. During my time at Willamette, I served as a dormitory Resident Assistant, developed a new diversity and inclusion curriculum for incoming 1st year students, and co-founded a multiracial student group. This spring, I earned my Bachelor's degree in sociology, focusing on identity formation, racial and gender constructions, and social inequality.

Through my participation in all of these activities, I came to realize that interpersonal acts of violence against women are connected to the marginalization of all women, and that the same social structures and norms that uphold misogynistic beliefs and practices are also implicated in other oppressions based on race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and the like. This realization galvanized my passion for working to end violence against women and also made clear to me that in order to oppose one form of oppression, we must understand how other oppressions are connected and address them as well.

I am excited to bring my skills and passion to such a wide-reaching and dynamic organization as the Task Force, and I look forward to supporting and collaborating with your efforts in the effective prevention and response to sexual violence.

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SATF Volunteer and Internship Program

Annika Baldwin, ORSATF Training Specialist

Over the past couple months I have had the opportunity to establish a formal volunteer and internship program for the Sexual Assault Task Force. We have had the privilege to work with three talented students from Willamette University and Linfield College, and recently bid a bittersweet goodbye to interns Zoe Larmer, Jonathan Gates, and Shervin Sima who will graduating. They have spent countless hours volunteering their time (which most of us know is limited when graduation is approaching) to the Task Force. They have been an integral part of our team and will be greatly missed. (Though we are excited that Jonathan Gates will be transitioning into the position of Prevention Specialist for the Task Force following his graduation.) We were pleased to recently welcome Helen Paz, who will be interning with us from Portland State University.

The Task Force has many different opportunities for students to gain valuable, hands-on experience with sexual assault prevention and education. Currently we are searching for film students with experience operating filming equipment and editing to help us recreate the distractingly outdated Oregon Voices Film. The new project has been renamed Oregon Survivor Voices. It has been a project taken on by the Victim Response Subcommittee as well. With the help of interns and the VRC, it is our hope that the new Oregon Survivor Voices film will be finished by the end of December 2012.

If you or someone you know would be interested in volunteering or interning with the ORSATF, please contact me!

Subcommittee "LIAISONS"

Judy Hays, Task Force Membership Specialist

Last newsletter I discussed Subcommittee "Liaisons" -- their purpose and who they are.

To review -- the Task Force Advisory Committee (TFAC) has eight standing subcommittees. Each subcommittee has a liaison from the other seven subcommittees, or a total of seven liaisons. Those seven liaisons are added to the subcommittee's email list so they receive that subcommittee's emails, minutes, agendas and work plans. Then they keep their subcommittees informed.

For example, Cynthia Stinson is a member of the Legislative and Public Policy Subcommittee (LPPC) and is LPPC's liaison to the Men's Engagement Subcommittee (MEC). The SATF staff adds Cynthia to MEC's email list so she receives all MEC emails. In turn, Cynthia reads the MEC e-mails, meeting agendas and minutes, and stays current with the MEC work plan. At her LPPC meetings, she briefly updates them on MEC activities which allows the LPCC to decide whether there is anything to follow up on.

Here's status on the last four subcommittees:

Liaisons to the Men's Engagement Subcommittee:

S. Naliboff representing CJC

E. Trussell representing MFC

C. Stinson representing LPPC

W. Light representing PEC

NEED liaisons from VRC, CC and OMC

Liaisons to the Offender Management Subcommittee:

A. McKenzie representing VRC

M. Weaver representing CC

K. Trenholm representing MFC

K. Naughton representing LPPC

J. Lent representing MEC

NEED liaison from PEC and CJC

Liaisons to the Prevention & Education Subcommittee:

M. Osmond representing CC

J. Downing representing LPPC

E. Balduzzi representing OMC

T. Albee representing VRC

I. Christy representing CJC

D. Chapin representing MEC

NEED liaison from MFC

Liaisons to the Victim Reponse Subcommittee:

E. Trussell representing MFC

D. Fleming representing CJC

A. Cleveland & J. Mindlin representing LPPC

T. Freeman representing OMC

T. Neimann representing PEC

NEED liaisons from MEC and CC

Subcommittee Reports

Campus Subcommittee (CC)

The Campus Committee has implemented a new system for meetings and addressing the work plan. Members of the committee invite individuals with expertise in a particular area of sexual assault (as it relates to campus communities) to present to the group. These presentations generate discussion and materials that will then be shared with other institutions statewide. We are working on a set of questions to submit to the Office of Civil Rights to clarify questions around the Dear Colleague Letter. We are also in the process of administering a survey of Oregon campuses to gather information on how they have implemented Title IX recommendations.

Criminal Justice Subcommittee (CJC)

CJC is working on FAQ's for victims about criminal investigation and prosecution. We are also working on a position paper on the link between sexual assault and domestic violence. Both are in the early stages of development.

Legislative and Public Policy Subcommittee (LPPC)

The Legislative and Public Policy Subcommittee has resumed meeting in person, and has begun discussions about legislation for 2013.

Medical Forensics Subcommittee (MFC)

The MFC continued work on an Unconscious Victims position paper that will guide providers in how and when to collect forensic evidence when the victim is unconscious. Additionally, the MFC continues to collaborate with the Crime Lab and work on the Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Guidelines. The SART Protocol Guidelines continue to be refined and the MFC plans to conclude work on this document this month. Finally, the MFC has begun a trial QA process in which SANEs may submit de-identified charts to be reviewed and receive feedback to help ensure continuous quality improvement. Anyone who would like to submit a chart may do so to the Task Force; they will be reviewed before each MFC meeting.

Men's Engagement Subcommittee (MEC)

The Men's Engagement subcommittee is continuing to focus on completing and implementing its action plan for 2012 and has approved its vision and values statement.

Offender Management Subcommittee (OMC)

At our last meeting, former OMC member Katie Gotch returned to share information regarding proposed legislation to revise the sex offender registry. The proposal would create a tier system for identifying offenders representing differing levels of risk, as well as other changes. Following a survey of SATF members regarding the TFAC noontime presentations, OMC was invited to answer questions about the sex offender registry at the May 10^th meeting. Finally, committee members continue to work on the position paper on Sex Offender Discharge Treatment Outcomes for Juvenile Offenders.

Prevention and Education Subcommittee (PEC)

The biggest news from the PEC came at the end of March. After two years of dynamic and gifted work as a leader of primary prevention of sexual violence in Oregon, Ashley Maier has left the Task Force to rejoin her family in Southern California. Nancy Greenman is the new Prevention Program Coordinator. Prior to this change, Nancy served as a Co Chair of the PEC, and worked in the Oregon DOJ Crime Victim Services Division. During the quarter, the PEC began work on three position papers on: 1) the intersection of oppression and sexual violence; 2) social media and prevention; and 3) articulating a common vision of sexual health. We are pleased that our Beliefs were approved by the Steering Committee, as they capture the spirit and the content of our work.

Victim Response Subcommittee (VRC)

The Victim Response subcommittee is continuing to work on refining the paper addressing serving underserved survivors. The committee is also taking on the task of updating the Advocate Manual. With the help of Pacific University students, the committee will be working to update the Oregon Voices DVD under the new title of Oregon Survivor Voices.

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The SATF was formed in 1999 by Attorney General Hardy Myers at the request of a group of advocates and multidisciplinary responders in order to organize statewide efforts to address adolescent and adult sexual assault in Oregon. The SATF incorporated into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental corporation in 2003.

The mission of the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force is the effective prevention of and response to sexual violence through collaborative, comprehensive, survivor-centered strategies.

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