Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. –
Fort Eustis Sexual Assault Response Coordinators hosted a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program summit with leadership from local universities April 28, 2015, at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
This was the first year the installation teamed up with universities, including Christopher Newport University, University of Richmond and James Madison University, to learn new tactics and exchange ideas to help combat and prevent sexual harassment and assault.
According to Kevin Parker, Fort Eustis SARC, the institutions deal with similar sexual assault issues.
"Even though we're in different forums the issues are very similar," said Michelle Moody, CNU equal opportunity director, "It's nice to be able to exchange and gather as much knowledge as we can to bring back to our respective institutions - it can only be beneficial."
According to Moody, the military and universities share the same audience of influence when it comes to combating sexual assault - people from across the country, some of whom are living on their own for the first time.
"We're trying to do a cultural and societal change and it's going to take time," said U.S. Army Col. William Galbraith, 733rd Mission Support Group commander, who added that the military positively shapes societal members, transforming them into Service members adhering to the military code of ethics.
For Galbraith, universities hold a similar power of influence as the military with the ability to shape the societal views of what is and is not acceptable in terms of sexual assault and harassment, and how to act if intervention is needed.
"I got the sense that passion for the subject was undeniable and that people wanted to be a part of doing that right thing," said Moody of the military members at the summit. "To me, that was something that I could bring back to my school and say 'If this big huge organization can instill a sense of passion for the subject, a campus our size can do the same.'"
During the summit, the group learned about and discussed the five lines of effort various Army agencies use to combat sexual assault including: prevention, investigation, accountability, advocacy and assessment.
"It was interesting to hear the things different representatives look for," said Moody. "While that's not the same system we use, it's helpful to be able to say, 'In prosecuting a case this is what we need.'"
The group also discussed bystander intervention and reviewed methods the Army enforces to prevent sexual harassment and assault, said Melisa Ram, Joint Base Langley-Eustis victim advocate.
"The goal of [bystander intervention] is to empower Soldiers to intervene when they witness a sexual harassment or where any behavior which may potentially facilitate a sexual assault," said Ram. "These intervention processes can be used anywhere, even college campuses."
For Moody, the information exchanged and the contacts made to better educate her school on the topic were priceless.
"It's not as easy as people think it is, so it was nice to know that we're not in this alone," said Moody. "It's just that information sharing--it's very valuable and it's nice to know those communication lines are open. You might not find that in some other corporations and that was completely not what I found here, which was very refreshing. I was very happy that they invited us."