The University of Idaho presented a panel of speakers Tuesday night to spread awareness of campus and community resources and the appropriate ways to serve survivors for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The panel was primarily hosted by Alyda Jaegerman, the current Idaho Advocate for Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse in charge of managing UI campus cases relating to sexual assault.
Panelists included Katrina Critchfield, the coordinator of sexual assault services at ATVP, Emilie McLarnan, the current Associate Director of Violence Prevention for the Dean of Students office, Curtis Whitman, a corporal with the sexual assault unit of the Washington State University police department, Ashley Jennings, the senior deputy prosecutor for Latah County’s prosecutor office, Erin Agidius, the Title IX Coordinator and director of UI’s Office of Civil Rights and Investigations, Holly Ashkannejhad, the director of WSU”s Compliance and Civil Rights office, Jake Lee, a Moscow Police Department officer specializing in crisis negotiation and the campus division of the department and Dan LeBeau, the senior deputy prosecutor for Whitman County’s prosecutor office.
After brief introductions, Jaegerman opened up the panel by presenting several predetermined questions relating to proper courses of action in supporting survivors of sexual assault.
Panelists gave their personal responses to questions relating to hesitancy about coming forward, what is done in instances of ongoing or pending cases, reporting in the case that a perpetrator is unable to be prosecuted, the differences in support from both university and law enforcement offices, anonymous reporting, the process of getting a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) test, misconceptions about sexual assault, lack of compassion or understanding for those who choose to come forward with their story, the process of assisting a survivor with undocumented legal status, providing support to cases that have connections to both Idaho and Washington, dealing with cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraging survivors to trust resources.
The panel emphasizes the fact that across the entire Palouse, agencies associated with both law enforcement offices and university organizations work together in both Idaho and Washington to provide support for those who have experienced some form of sexual assault, domestic violence or harassment.
“There’s a lot of interims, general supportive measures that we offer to help folks feel safe as they engage, with whatever process that might be,” Agidius said.
If an individual is feeling apprehension or hesitancy about coming forward with an experience, the panelists suggested knowing one’s own resources and having the knowledge that people in these positions are there to help and assist above all else.
“The very first thing I usually do is ask them if they have reached out to an advocate if they’re aware of Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse. Sometimes they are, but sometimes they’re not, so I explain what the program is and how helpful it can be,” Jennings said.
One of the biggest concerns about going through a sexual assault case’s legal process is the relationship between the survivor and the perpetrator, and in particular, the status of that perpetrator while there is an ongoing trial or legal proceeding. The panelists gave insight into what this connection looks like, and how to ensure the safety of the survivor during this time period.
“Once the case comes to our office, one of the first things we do is set up contact with the survivor so that they know we have the case,” LeBeau said. “We talk to them about the process, and we’ll give you as much or as little information as you want.”
When encouraging survivors and others to trust and have faith in the resources at hand, the panelists re-emphasized their passion and expertise, often quoting that their work is done not for a paycheck, but to ensure the support and safety of survivors on the state and federal level as well as the law enforcement and university level.
“I recognize that when we talk through processes with individuals from the university side alone, that doesn’t even include what you get from law enforcement or the prosecutor… It can be a lot, it can be overwhelming,” Agidius said. “We want to demystify. Ask as many questions as you want, come back and ask us to re-explain it. We would rather you have an understanding of what’s happening and we’re being as transparent as possible about what you can expect, the reality is we just want to make sure we’re there to give answers and support.”
Katarina Hockema can be reached at [email protected]