Support, Advocacy, & Violence Prevention (SAVP) Advocates
Support, Advocacy, & Violence Prevention (SAVP) Advocates (formerly SART) are trained Vassar faculty, administrators, and staff who are available 24/7 to provide survivor-centered advocacy and support for survivors of sexual assault, relationship abuse, and stalking. They will discuss your options with you, even if you are not ready to take any action. They will go over your rights, give you support, and make sure that you have as much control of the process as possible. They can also accompany you, if you wish, to access resources on or off-campus. SAVP Advocates will let you make decisions based on what is safe and comfortable for you.
SAVP Advocates are college-designated confidential resources on campus, which means that they do not have to let anyone know that you came forward for support or help unless there is imminent danger or community safety concerns. However, if you would like to formally report an incident to the Institutional Equity Office or law enforcement, an Advocate can assist you during that process. Advocates do fill out an anonymous report (without any identifying information) that is kept confidential with the SAVP Office.
SAVP Advocates can be reached by calling the Campus Response Center (CRC) at (845) 437-7333 and asking to speak to a SAVP Advocate.
Upon initial contact with the CRC, the SAVP Advocate will be contacted and given your contact information to reach out to you. SAVP Advocates will call you back and will:
- Introduce themselves and review confidentiality guidelines for the SAVP Office.
- Ask you how they can support you and hold space for what you might want to share or process.
- Offer resources and referrals that you might use to address personal, medical, psychological, safety, and academic concerns related to the incident.
- Offer to make initial contacts to connect you with resource providers and support services, both on and off-campus.
- Clarify distinctions between campus, civil, and criminal adjudication procedures and help you make contact with offices/agencies on or off-campus if you'd like to.
- Remain in close contact with the SAVP Director and other SAVP Advocates to ensure a coordinated, timely, and appropriate support system for you.
2023–2024 Advocates
- Rachel Gellert (she/they), Director of the Support, Advocacy, and Violence Prevention (SAVP) Office
- Allison Jasso (she/her), Program Coordinator/Survivor Advocate - SAVP Office
- Tracy Wright Mauer (she/they), Library Specialist
- Nicole Beveridge (she/her/hers), Director of ALANA Cultural Center
- Arianna Schlegel (she/they), Systems Librarian
- Sara (she/they), Exploring College Manager
- Ethan Wasserman (he/him), Moorhead Academic Coach for Learning and Accessibility
- Erin McCloskey (she/her/hers), Professor and Chair of Education
- Rabbi Bryan Mann (he/him), Rachlin Director for Jewish Student Life and Assistant Director of RSLCP
- Veronica Brownstone (she/her), Visiting Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies
- Mary Ellen Czesak (she/her/hers), Senior Lecturer/Advisor to the Class of 2025
- Dana Patota (she/hers), Administrative Assistant
- Stacy Ripo (she/her), Office Specialist in Student Living & Wellness
- Bianca Keesler (she/her/hers), House Advisor for Cushing and Noyes Houses