A position for a sexual assault prevention and survivor services coordinator is in its final stages of being created and will be filled by the fall semester according to Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel. Flagel announced the decision on May 3 in an email to the Brandeis community regarding the campus response to sexual assault.

In an interview with the Justice, Flagel explained the importance of having such a position at the University. "One of the challenges that I see in a university as complex as Brandeis ... is having a clear identification of where to go in the event of an attack beyond our tremendously well-trained and supportive campus police. We've had wonderful training from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center for a whole variety of constituents on campus, but there is not a spot or an office clearly identified as the place to go," he said.

The new position would be separate from counseling or public safety, according to Flagel. "[I]f you position them inside the public safety or a counseling office, they de facto have a role where they are a treatment person in the counseling center or in a public safety office where they are a part of the investigatory unit of the institution," he said.

"One of the things that I'll be talking both with our external experts and the folks on the search committee is how to best create that position in a way where it has sufficient independence, but also has a place within the University structure ... and [can] be of influence in terms of our policies and in terms of educating our community," Flagel added.

The basic duties of the individual in this position will include, but are not limited to, gathering information across the campus; holding educational programs; training faculty, staff and students, ranging from how to respond when these issues arise to bystander training; and student survivor services.

Because of the importance of such a position, Flagel said that a team needs to be assembled to support whoever takes on this new position. "I think there's already probably far more than any one person can do, which is why this person won't be doing this alone," he said. "We have a dynamic and spectacular search committee that will be helping me make sure that the position is appropriately crafted and that it is of the best possible service to the community, including student representation."

According to Flagel, the position had been in the works well before he sent the email announcing the new position. "I really felt after ... Take Back the Night and hearing the stories that our students shared that it was vitally important that they know how much the administration ... supports them and believes in the importance of creating a safe and accepting culture at Brandeis," he said in an interview with the Justice.

The funding for the position, according to Flagel, would come from the University budget.

"[T]his was identified as a priority need in our budgetary process," Flagel said.

According to Flagel, a search committee was formed, the job description for someone to coordinate sexual assault prevention and survivor services is being finalized and the committee is preparing to post the position.