OGDEN — Weber State University’s Safe@Weber program is receiving an award from the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

The Sexual Assault Awareness Month Program Partner of the Year award will be presented to Safe@Weber at a ceremony April 28 in Salt Lake City.

Several other SAAM awards will be presented to people such as Kortney Hughes of the Provo Police Department, Chrissandra Murphy of Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and Zakia Richardson of Utah Legal Services.

UCASA Excutive Director Turner Bitton said Weber State's program was selected because it has an LGBTQ-specific sexual violence prevention program.

"We see really high rates of violence committed against LGBT folks, so having specific programming for LGBT individuals is a huge step forward for the community," he said.

Another reason Safe@Weber stood out is because of it's comprehensive nature. Bitton called it a "model program."

Safe@Weber offers sexual violence prevention programming, bystander intervention training and a myriad of non-confidential resources for assault survivors through the Women’s Center. 

All Weber State students are required to take an online Safe@Weber course, according to Standard-Examiner archives.

"They've created a program that is victim centered, that is focused on the needs of the person in the situation they're currently in and works with them," Bitton said.

This piece originally appeared in the Standard Examiner. Click here to read the original article. 

BYU is observing National Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the first time since the Advisory Council conducted a self-study about sexual assault last summer.

A new Title IX Coordinator and Victim Advocate have been appointed since the sexual assault report that was published in October. This has created more awareness on campus about sexual assault, according to Women’s Services and Resources campaign specialist Madison Fullmer.

Fullmer, a recreation management major, works as the Campaign Specialist for Women’s Services and Resources. She said BYU students have responded more positively to the campaigns about sexual assault since this study was published.

“Students have been more open than they have in the past,” Fullmer said. “I think more than anything, students are just more accustomed to hearing about (sexual assault), and know that it is a real thing.”

As a result of the self-study, a report was published in October 2016 highlighting issues the school has with sexual assault and offering suggestions for change.

Among the most prominent of these changes was the appointment of Tiffany Turley as the new Title IX coordinator and Lisa Leavitt as a victim advocate at the beginning of the semester. These women have each had experiences that will help them make a difference at BYU as they interact with sexual assault victims and other members of the campus community.

Turley heads the Title IX office. She worked previously as the manager of Women’s Services and Resources for two years and also worked in various administrative positions for the Department of Workforce Services in Utah for several years.

“The underlying goal of our office is creating a really safe and healthy environment for our students here on campus,” Turley said.

Her volunteer involvement also prepared her for this position. Turley worked on many projects with the Rape Recovery Center and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She is also a certified sexual assault crisis counselor.

A Title IX coordinator position has existed at BYU for over five years, but this is the first year it is a unique position. Prior to this change, the Title IX coordinator had to juggle other positions and responsibilities. Now, Turley will be able to give more specific attention to sexual assault issues.3

The Title IX office also moved away from the Honor Code office to its own space in the Wilkinson Student Center. This change was made to emphasize the importance of the Title IX office and to help students feel more comfortable when they visit.

The BYU Advisory Council also created an entirely new victim advocate position. Lisa Leavitt, a licensed psychologist at BYU, is the first person to fill this position. She has worked for BYU’s Counseling and Psychological Services for over 10 years and is a member of the Utah Sexual Assault Task Force.

Leavitt is excited to help BYU move forward in addressing the sexual assault problems on campus.

“I think they did a great job in the study of being pretty honest and addressing some really good solutions,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt said she is still learning many things about her new position, but her main responsibilities fall into three categories. First, she is an actual advocate for the students, helping them navigate the Title IX Process, getting them in touch with community resources or explaining their rights.

Second, Leavitt helps to educate professors, staff and other members of the campus community about her role and the processes that BYU has in place to deal with issues of sexual harassment or abuse.

Finally, she is a liaison between BYU and the community when it comes to available resources for sexual assault victims.

Sexual assault is not a problem unique to BYU. Universities across the country have the same issues. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimates 20 to 25 percent of women in universities across the country are victims of sexual assault over the course of a college career.

The changes BYU is making show that the administrators are invested and taking the matter very seriously, according to Turley.

“The recommendations that we have been given through the self-study . . . will help fast forward us into an era where I see BYU actually being a leader,” Turley said.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Universe. Click here to read the original article.

State health officials and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault are working on a program to educate people on how to intervene appropriately to prevent instances of sexual violence, which studies show will claim a large percentage of the population as victims. The thinking is that high rates of sexual aggression might be tapered if more people were made aware of just what constitutes a pattern of behavior that could lead to sexual violence, and what steps they might take to prevent it.

It is a worthwhile project that will hopefully lead to better awareness of a problem that persists even as we are in the process as a society of coming to grips with just how frequently sexual violence occurs. Education programs can only help speed that process.

Fortunately, we have moved past an age in which sexually oriented teasing or taunting was looked upon as harmless fun. We have become more aware of the prevalence of sexual violence on college campuses, though it has been a painful process of coming to realize how common it is and how it has often gone undetected and unpunished. We are cognizant of the harm brought by instances of “sexting” and the spreading of sexually graphic material through social media — which also are forms of sexual violence. We have learned more about the integral role sexual violence plays in many cases of domestic abuse. We have bolstered prosecutorial efforts to attack sex trafficking. We are better versed on the nuances of sexual harassment in the workplace. Yet, despite all of this, the problem persists.

​The health department estimates that 1 in 3 women in Utah will experience a form of sexual violence during their lives. One in 8 women will be victims of rape, as will 1 in 50 men. The societal costs of sexual violence in Utah top $5 billion a year, associated with the costs of investigation and prosecution, treatment, related medical and psychological effects and general “pain, suffering and diminished quality of life that victims suffered,” according to the health department.

​Empowering people to step up and intervene when they see evidence of pending or ongoing sexual violence is an important approach, although it’s hardly a panacea. The health department has categorized various risk factors for the perpetration of sexual violence, which can offer warning signs. Studies reveal a strong correlation between perpetrators and substance abuse. Also, people who have witnessed or been victims of sexual violence are more prone to be violators themselves. Other risk factors include anti-social behavior and acts of hostility toward women. Studies have also pointed to influences in popular culture that seem to condone sexual aggressiveness.

​Those working with the health department and the coalition against sex assault believe understanding those risk factors and other dimensions of behavior will empower people to step forward to prevent violence or help a victim escape from a cycle of abuse. Just how effective that approach can be in practical terms is subject to conjecture. What is not in question, however, is that sexual violence remains a problem for which society should demand zero tolerance.

This piece originally appeared in the Deseret News. Click here to read the original article.

The judge sentenced Keith Vallejo to five years to life in prison for sexually assaulting two women several years ago.

Utah has some of the highest rates of sexual abuse in the nation. It seems to me like these people in positions of power almost wear it as badge of honor.Mark Lawrence, Restore Our Humanity

At least 90 percent of the population in Provo, Utah, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In a year of nationwide discussion of sexual assault on Utah’s university campuses, Jasmine Despain, a student at Utah State University, was named student advocate of the year by the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Despain’s activism started with poetry. Writing poetry was a form of therapy for Despain as a survivor of rape. While performing her poetry, she began to get attention — different organizations on campus wanted her to perform at their events, and eventually, lead them.

“Next thing I knew, it was like taking my bad experiences and taking it to be informative and have these conversations and start this dialog and make sure people know that they’re not alone,” Despain said.  “And then I started with ‘I Am That Girl’ and we talked about sexual assault, and starting Students for Choice, and we talked about consent and just basic sexual education. You’d be surprised how many people came to this meeting that were in college who had never heard the word ‘consent.’ They didn’t know what that meant.”

Despain is the founding president of Students for Choice, as well as the president of “I Am That Girl,” a club founded around the idea of creating a safe space and empowering women to discuss issues like sex and shame, campus sexual assault and healthy relationships. Her organization of campus events, including Take Back The Night and a performance as part of the Vagina Monologues, have played a considerable role in building a community for survivors of sexual assault on her university’s campus.

When the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault named her their student advocate of the year, they recognized all of these contributions to her community, along with one more: her vulnerability.

“I think, yes, it’s been really hard to find my voice and stand up for this, but the way I’ve created  this community of support has been so good. And it’s been so good because I like to inspire people by vulnerability. So, lead by vulnerability, and I think by me saying I went through this, it gives other people that power and strength to talk about their experience and get help.”

Despain will graduate this May, and plans to continue her activism in Salt Lake City after her graduation. 

This piece originally appeared on UPR.org. Click here to listen to the interview and read the original article.

Abby Payne was a 19-year-old sophomore at Weber State University when she was asked on a casual date by a friend of a friend. Three days later, she was on the date, walking down Historic 25th street in Ogden. The awkwardness of the first date was made worse by poor planning — her date didn’t buy her dinner or even seem have a destination in mind.

As they strolled past a lingerie shop, her date began asking her awkward sexual questions. He then jokingly forced her into the shop. Payne, very uncomfortable now, suggested they go home. On the way home, the man pulled the car over and sexually assaulted her, leaving bruises all over her body. As he dropped her off at her house later, Payne remembers, “I kind of didn’t even know what had happened.”

Nearly 7,000 students will experience sexual assault or rape while attending Weber State University, based on campus assault statistics from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and the current student population. Payne was one of those 7,000.

This staggering number would lead most to believe that most universities have an efficient system in place to process rape kits, but accessing a rape kit as a college student is more complicated than most realize.

There are three reasons students may not understand how to acquire a rape kit on campus: (1) There are too many policies for the victim to be familiar with, (2) there are too many offices for the victim to travel to (often as many as five) and (3) there is insufficient education about sexual assault.

1. Sexual assault on campus is a mess of policies.

When someone reports a rape on campus, there is a labyrinth of legal or university-led investigations into the incident and a helpful but complicated support system for the victim through the campus victim advocate.

If a rape happens off-campus, the Ogden Police Department is a place you can report it to. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Legal Investigations

The investigations into a sexual assault can only be conducted if the victims report they have been assaulted.

Payne never reported her assault to law enforcement. She said, “I decided not to press charges, partially out of the shame factor. I just didn’t want to live it again. And I was terrified it would go to court, and somebody would tell me it was my fault.” 

Kim Fischer, investigative reporter, evening anchor for ABC 4 and media advocate for victims of sexual assault, said schools differ in their rules about who the victim can report to. Some require the student to report to campus police, while other schools let the victim choose to report to the campus or local police department.

If a rape occurs on Weber State campus, it is under the jurisdiction of the Weber State Police. If the rape occurs off campus, it is under the jurisdiction of the local police department, but the victim can choose to also report to the Weber State police department. 

Students can report, without naming themselves, to protect others on campus. The Campus Police Reporting Procedures Manual states, “The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential, while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others.”

University Investigations

Victims can request a school investigation — most common if the perpetrator is also a student, through the Title IX Office (also called the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity office).

Title IX is a legal statute requiring schools to investigate claims of discrimination or harassment. The office will investigate the incident not as a criminal offense, but as a violation of the university’s Harassment and Discrimination policy.

Barry Gomberg, the school’s Title IX investigator, said in an interview, “If either of the individuals have any formal relationship to the university and the alleged conduct took place on campus, then I think we would investigate … to determine what the level of risk that [the assaulting] individual posed to potential others, whether or not they violated university policy.”

The advantage of reporting to the Title IX Office is that the offending student will be dealt with swiftly — a luxury that the legal system cannot offer. The difference in speed is due to the standard of evidence required.

In a court case, investigators need to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but in a civil case, through the school, they only need a “preponderance of evidence.” This makes school investigations, and the following discipline of the assailant, move a lot faster than court cases, which helps the healing process of the victim.

Paige Davies is the Women's Center Victim Advocate. She guides and supports students through their options. (Source: Weber State Women's Center)

Support for victims

Some victims, like Payne, seek support from resources such as the Women’s Center, the Health Center or the Counseling and Psychological Services Center before they ever think about reporting to law enforcement.

Payne first opened up about her assault to a counselor in the Psychological Services Center, after she couldn’t “be present” anymore, and “got sucked back into that moment” one too many times. “I was in pain all the time,” Payne said. “I kept imagining that he was following me, that he was everywhere I was, that I would turn around and see him.” Her counselor diagnosed her with PTSD.

Victims can also receive support through the Women’s Center and resources like Victim Advocate Paige Davies. Davies is the one who helps students understand this whole process. “I just help guide them and help provide support for whatever they want to do,” said Davies.

Gomberg called Davies, “an extremely knowledgeable source of support, who understands a lot about [the Title IX] office’s process, the police and prosecutorial process, even as it relates to domestic relations, how to get a restraining order, protective orders, connect with legal representation, which they might not otherwise be able to afford.”

The campus victim advocate is a helpful resource. However, the victim advocate cannot provide confidentiality. Turner Bitton of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault said, “That’s essentially like throwing a big wet blanket on a survivor. And it prevents them in a lot of circumstances from disclosing that they have been assaulted.”

The advocate, of course, wants to and will keep the information confidential, but if another institution demands the information, the advocate legally cannot refuse, which may be the reason that only 1 in 6 victims uses victim’s services, according to RAINN.

Utah House Bill 251, “Campus Advocate Confidentiality Amendments,” will hopefully change that. “Basically what it would do is give the same confidential communications privileges or confidential protection to campus-based advocates as community-based advocates have,” said Bitton. “And that will go a long way in terms of increasing reporting because victims will feel safe to report on campus.” 

Payne said it’s “ridiculous” and “too much runaround” to expect a college student to understand the ins and outs of these complicated sexual assault policies, especially after experiencing the trauma of a sexual assault or rape.

The following nomination was written by Manwill Emmylou, citizen of West Valley City: 

Detective Justin Boardman is shifting the way that police across the entire State of Utah deal with sexual assault investigations. He is one of the main trauma-informed investigative trainers that goes around the State (and to conferences out of state) to discuss how to interview victims of sexual assault without retraumatizing them, and piecing together their stories through the trauma-informed victim interviewing. He is the recruitment chair for the Board of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault and has helped recruit new board members, including me!, that are survivors of sexual assault so that we have a big voice at the table.

Besides his involvement with sexual assault advocacy, Justin is an all around great guy and brings a positive light on all police officers through his compassion, energy, and consideration of others and the multi-pronged system that it takes to actually effect change and bring justice. He works closely with prosecutors during sexual assault investigations, and I have heard from victims he has helped that he stops by and makes sure they are doing well despite the lack of communication and craziness that the system often entails.

Last month, Judge Thomas Low allowed a former Mormon bishop who was just convicted of nearly a dozen sexual assault charges to go home while he waited to be sentenced.

The decision was later reversed, but it nevertheless opened a floodgate of complaints against the Utah judge. Criticisms snowballed after Keith Robert Vallejo’s sentencing hearing last week. Although Low sentenced Vallejo to prison, he also praised the defendant, further angering advocates who battle sexual assault.

“The court has no doubt that Mr. Vallejo is an extraordinary, good man,” Low said during Vallejo’s sentencing hearing Wednesday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “But great men sometimes do bad things.”

Low became emotional as he uttered the words and took a long pause mid-sentence, according to media reports.

Advocates say the statement compromised Low’s independence as a judge and left an impression that the former county prosecutor had no regard for people who have been raped. It’s even more critical in a state that advocates say has one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the country.

“This judge clearly shows unreasonable bias toward the perpetrator,” Mark Lawrence, director of Restore our Humanity, a local advocacy group, told The Washington Post. “This is the most despicable behavior to a victim.”

Keith Robert Vallejo. (Utah County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Turner Bitton, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said Low’s statement inappropriately shifted the focus away from Vallejo’s two victims and seemed to place higher regard on how a convicted sex offender is treated.

“Anytime someone in a position of authority says something like this, it reinforces the narrative of blaming victims and holding them responsible for what happens to them,” Bitton said.

The Post was unable to reach Low on Sunday. A call to a number registered under his name was not returned. But a court spokesman told the New York Daily News that he had declined to comment.

The women told investigators that Vallejo groped them while they were asleep, said Christine Scott, one of the prosecutors in the case. One of them was further sexually assaulted.

Vallejo, a former bishop at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was convicted in February of 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and one count of object rape, a first-degree felony.

After the jury trial, Low allowed Vallejo to be released on bail while he waited for his sentencing hearing — a decision that prompted many to report the judge to the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.

The commission has received dozens of emails, voicemails and Facebook messages complaining about Low’s handling of the case, Jennifer Yim, the executive director, told the Associated Press.

“He didn’t consider him a flight risk. He’s shown up to everything else. He’s got good ties to the community,” Scott said of the judge’s decision, adding that Vallejo’s family, including his eight children, had appeared in court in support of their father.

Prosecutors later asked Low to change his ruling, arguing that allowing Vallejo to go home caused further psychological trauma to the women who were assaulted. Vallejo was taken back into custody in March, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Under a sentencing range that Low imposed last week, Vallejo could spend either five years or the rest of his life in prison. In Utah, the Board of Pardons and Parole determines the exact sentence based on a range given by a judge.

But Vallejo has continued to maintain his innocence.

“The justice system is funny,” he said in court, the Salt lake Tribune reported. “The whole thing is geared to bullying you into confessing. The whole thing is geared to push you into pleading.”

But those words meant little for victims who had to endure the embarrassment and pain of recounting their experience in a public hearing in front of strangers, Scott said, especially if their attacker was praised in their presence.

“Mr. Vallejo is not a good person in their eye. … We thought the focus should’ve been on the crime, not the person,” Scott said. Low “is trying to acknowledge that there was some good qualities that Mr. Vallejo had, but certainly, his good qualities do not outweigh his criminal act.”

Still, Scott said she does not think Low’s characterization of Vallejo as a “good man” was meant to be insensitive to the victims. She said that Low is the type of judge who does not condemn people in his courtroom, including defendants, no matter how abhorrent the crime.

“He doesn’t want anybody walking out saying, ‘That judge was so mean to me,’ ” Scott said. “I really think that he was just trying to soften the blow a little bit, trying to make Mr. Vallejo’s family feel a little bit better about the sentence. … I bet right today he wishes he said it differently.”

Still, advocacy organizations have said that they plan to file formal complaints against Low.

Both Lawrence and Bitton said their organizations intend to do so this week. They said the goal is not disbarment, but some form of punishment that would require Low to go through a training on sexual violence and how to deal with victims.

Low became a judge in Utah’s Fourth District Court in 2009, according to his biography. Before that, he was the Wasatch County attorney for six years and was named County Attorney of the Year in 2008.

This piece originally appeared in The Washington Post. Click here to read the original article.

SALT LAKE CITY — Sexual violence, including rape, costs Utahns billions of dollars every year.

The individual toll is much harder to tally.

Helping people recognize sexual assault and having the tools to deal with it in private and public settings can be helpful to victims and bystanders alike, he said.

"It is a skill set that is applicable to so many things in life," Bitton said, adding that violence of any kind has broad societal impacts, making it everyone's problem.

The Utah Department of Health's Violence and Injury Prevention Program, along with the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault and various rape prevention programs in the state, wants to educate Utahns regarding intervention, hoping bystanders can make a difference in the occurrence or frequency of sexual assaults.

"Many people just aren't sure what to do to help others, or they think someone else will help," said Marty Liccardo, men's engagement specialist with the health department program. "Intervention aims to empower people to step up and act when they hear or see harm."

Health department statistics show that 1 in 3 Utah women will experience some form of sexual violence during their lives. In addition, 1 in 8 Utah women and 1 in 50 Utah men will be raped.

Direct and indirect costs associated with such violence was estimated to be $5 billion in 2011, according to a 2015 report funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report states that the greatest cost was "due to the pain, suffering and diminished quality of life that victims experienced."

Bitton said sexual assault is often mistaken as a "crime of passion," when "at the end of the day, it is a crime of power and control" that stems from unhealthy expectations, unhealthy masculinity and unhealthy forms of self-expression, which can be awkward and uncomfortable subjects to approach with people.

"As an advocate, I like to think that if I was with a friend and he was acting inappropriately, I would definitely intervene," he said. "But the reality is that it is a lot harder than you think."

Bystanders to an argument between friends or partners, Liccardo said, don't know how to act or whether they should. But if the actions seen are harmful to another person, group or community, the available training program outlines the importance of saying something or getting help for those being victimized.

Research suggests that bystander intervention is effective but requires practice to understand social cues and actions, as well as confidence to be successful.

"Through the training, we make it a little easier," Bitton said, adding that intervention doesn't always involve yelling at someone or jumping into a situation, but carefully shifting the topic or redirecting attention.

The free training, which is offered to anyone from church, school, community and Scouting groups to law enforcement agencies and employers throughout the state, encourages distraction techniques and silent stares or simply making people aware that they are being observed or calling them out for inappropriate actions or behavior in public.

The bystander, however, must first make sure they are safe and will continue to be safe upon intervention and can recruit others to help.

Bitton said the first person who acts can be a catalyst for others to step in, guaranteeing that situations are attended to.

For more information on the program, visit health.utah.gov/vipp.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs help, call the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 888-421-1100.

This piece originally appeared in the Deseret News. Click here to read the original article.

Provo, Utah — UPDATE: Civil rights group to file judicial complaint against judge who praised rapist during sentencing

(KUTV) — Fourth District Court Judge Thomas Low had glowing praise for a man who was convicted of molesting two female relatives while they stayed at his home three years ago. 

During the sentencing, Low appeared to be emotional as he read the sentence. His praise came as at least one of the victims, Julia Kirby, sat in the court room.

"For him to say that in a court room in front the victim who was abused and raped by this man, that he is a great person, to me was unacceptable and unprofessional," she told 2News by phone.

Turner Bitton, with The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said when a person in a position like Low's praises the predator, he essentially blames the victim.

"At the end of the day, we're still going to tell you that your perpetrator was a good person, they made mistake and somehow it was still your responsibility," Bitton said.

Vallejo, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, was convicted in February of one first-degree felony of object rape and 10 second-degree felonies of forcible sexual abuse.

For the object rape conviction, Vallejo was given a sentence of five-years-to-life. He was also given concurrent one-to-15 year sentences for all 10 forcible sexual abuse convictions. 

Kirby said the judge had an opportunity to confront Vallejo about his refusal to take responsibility but didn't do it.

"He never once said to Keith, who he had an opportunity to address that 'You are guilty, and you need to own up to these crimes.' He said, 'You're a great man, and I believe that you're this wonderful person," Kirby said.

This is the second time Low has given Vallejo unusual treatment in this case. In February, Vallejo was convicted in a jury trial, but in an unexpected twist, Low allowed the former bishop to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to remain out of custody until his sentencing two months later.

Kirby did have praise for the jury in the case.

"Despite the fact that Judge Low may not have truly heard me out, they (the jury) did, and I've been wanting to find a way to thank them for that," Kirby said. "They heard me and they heard the other victim and they believed us, I feel that they at least should receive credit for that."

Low did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

This piece originally appeared in KUTV.com. Click here to read the original article.