Bijeta Lamichhane
News Editor
The College has officially formalized a partnership with OneEighty, an organization that serves to provide mental health services and eliminate issues such as sexual violence and substance abuse. This partnership will now provide students, faculty and staff with educational and programming services at low to no cost.
According to Lori Makin-Byrd, Title IX coordinating director of sexual violence prevention, OneEighty has been an active partner with the College and many student groups for a long time. “OneEighty has consistently been providing necessary services to all members of the community, including advocacy services for individuals who experience sexual assault or intimate partner violence, counseling services for a wide variety of concerns, including substance abuse; housing assistance and prevention education on a wide variety of topics,” Makin-Byrd said.
The College’s formal partnership with the organization will now allow better communication, resource sharing and education, which will provide victims with more options and better access to services. Rhiannon Whalen-Harris, community relations and prevention director at OneEighty, stated that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) — a formal, written agreement between the partners — “outlines the who, what and when’s of communication.” She added, “Information sharing about resources, changes in process, needs, etc. are detailed on both sides. The MOU also outlines how students can access OneEighty services, so that it is easier for staff and administration to share the information.”
Whalen-Harris further explained that the MOU also identifies appropriate education services which OneEighty can provide in order to support prevention and continue to spread resources for the campus. “OneEighty could provide all the same services of support to victims prior to the formal partnership, but as outlined above, the partnership makes it easier and more likely that the resources could be utilized,” she concluded. “These services include our Victim Advocacy program which offers free support. The Victim Advocates work with individuals to help them understand their options and advocate for their rights. Services also include better access to our 24-Hour hotline: (800)-686-1122, shelter services, counseling services, prevention programming and more.”
Students organizations such as Sexual Respect Coalition (SRC) — an organization that aims to fight sexual violence and promote sexual respect — will also benefit more from the partnership. “Formalizing a partnership with OneEighty allows for them to more easily provide services for students on campus and opens the door for events or workshops centered around sexual violence prevention and response,” Henry Mai ’20, an executive board member of SRC, said. “OneEighty can provide confidential crisis intervention, counseling, information and referral, as well as medical and legal services for students and employees at the College.”
President of SRC Miranda James ’20 also added, “OneEightly has always been a resource for members of the campus community in terms of response and support resources. This partnership formalizes the College’s connection to the resources that OneEighty provides. There are also members of OneEighty in the Working Group for Sexual Violence Prevention and Response who are experienced in prevention and support training, allowing the Working Group to focus on bringing tried-and-true trainings to campus in an effective manner.”
Makin-Byrd highlighted the importance of OneEighty for the College community and emphasized the significance of the partnership. “OneEighty has always been, and continues to be, an invaluable resource to the entire community,” she said. “[The partnership] allows even more students, staff and faculty to receive educational programs directly from OneEighty.”