Central Michigan Life

Alison Story wants sexual assault to be an issue of no taboo.

The Okemos senior hopes to fulfill her mission by being an active member for the Sexual Assault Peer Advocates, a group of CMU students trained to give support to sexual assault victims.

“I want to be a voice and an advocate for survivors of sexual aggression,” she said.

The group has a 24-hour crisis line for people who have experienced any type of sexual aggression, which includes stalking, harassment and rape. Members carry cell phones on them at all times so they do not miss one call.

“We’re a really diverse group and we all have a passion for what we’re doing,” said Illinois senior Cindy Ulmenstine, an active SAPA member.

The non-profit organization has 27 veteran members and 11 new members.

“They’re great people,” said Stephen Thompson, Sexual Assault Services coordinator. “They’re the change we want to see in our society.”

SAPA encountered controversy with its start in the 1995-96 school year because people did not believe students were trained enough to deal with sexual aggression issues.

Thompson did not agree.

“I use the line from the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ — ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Thompson said.

New members of SAPA go through 40 hours of training, which include empathic listening, profiles of sexual offenders and how to deal with every sexual aggression issue.

SAPA also organizes educational programs across campus and the state about sexual aggression issues.

Many sexual assaults go unreported because victims are afraid to speak up.

“Sometimes people have nowhere else to go,” Ulmenstine said. “We listen. We let them say what they want to say.”

The organization is involved in about 50 programs, including No Zebras, No Excuses for freshmen students to learn about sexual aggression issues and The Clothesline Project, a national exhibit that displays the experiences of sexual aggression survivors.

Thompson said one out of every four women will be a victim in their lifetime.

SAPA wants to bring awareness of these troubling statistics and more.

“We believe everyone and we listen to anybody,” Story said. “It’s not our place to judge.”

Students interested in joining SAPA can obtain an application from the office of the Dean of Students or online at http://www.sapa.cmich.edu.

For help, contact SAPA at 774-2255.

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