Planning for SHARE's future

In the past few months, the University has seen a number of high-profile alleged sexual assaults occur within the campus community. While the high-profile nature of these events does not necessarily indicate that the incidence of sexual assault is rising on campus, this is still an important time for the administration to examine whether it is providing students with adequate information for how to deal with these situations.

One of the most crucial resources for dealing with this on campus is the Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources, and Education program — otherwise known as SHARE. SHARE provides confidential psychological counseling as well as legal counseling for those who have experienced sexual assault and harassment. The peer Sexual Health Advisers also work under SHARE, and the program coordinates educational outreach activities throughout the year.

Yet SHARE has experienced its own ups and downs in the past year. The program has lacked a permanent director since last fall, when Thema Bryant-Davis left rather suddenly, and though SHARE now has an interim director and a larger support staff than last year, it remains unclear to most students where the University is in its search for a new permanent director. The program itself is also being restructured, leaving many students to wonder what role SHARE actually plays on campus and what its future will look like.

Today, too many students simply do not know what SHARE does and how it is changing. There are a number of things that UHS can and should do to remedy this problem.

First and most importantly, UHS should find a permanent director for SHARE by next fall. The increased staff support this year is encouraging, but it cannot make up for the lack of a permanent director whose job is to think about the program's longterm development.

Second, the University should do a better job of advertising the changes that are happening with SHARE. For example, UHS has already amended SHARE's policies so that a visit to SHARE will not commit a student to filing a report or formal complaint about the incident. This is a vital change that will certainly encourage students who have experienced assault or harassment to come forward and receive counseling, but right now too few students seem to be aware of the policy.

Tonight's "Study Break for the Guys" — an event sponsored by SHARE, the USG and the USG projects board — should be a step in the right direction. We hope to see events like this one regularly in the future as part of a continued effort to publicize SHARE's purpose and services.

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are two of the most serious problems a person may ever have to face during their time at Princeton. The University should do all it can to make sure all students are aware of both the problem and the resources available for dealing with it.