Rape prevention funding in danger

Every semester, when students register for classes, the well-known headaches of the PeopleSoft registration program are brought to the surface. But it's not just the students who suffer the pains of PeopleSoft -- at least one optional selection offered at the end of the registration program is hurting as well.\nThe IU Student Association Rape Crisis Fund has suffered significantly since the registration program switch. The fund provides the primary source of support for the Middle Way House rape crisis services, including the On-Scene Advocacy program and the 24-hour crisis line. Because of the switch to PeopleSoft, fewer students are checking these boxes, which means organizations are receiving less money.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig said the logistics of the new program could cause the decrease in the number of people checking boxes. He said in the past, the registration program forced each student to click "yes" or "no" for each box, making students think about whether they wanted to donate money. Now the software simply lists each program and allows students to continue through the program without checking any boxes. \n"We're making it too easy to ignore the check-offs," McKaig said.\nAlex Shortle, IUSA student body president, said the $3 IUSA Rape Crisis Fund has had a check-off box for about a decade and usually raises around $25,000. In the 2004-05 school year, the fund raised only $16,000. Groups wanting boxes on the program need to have existed as registered \nstudent organizations for one or more years. In order to get a fund box, groups must have 25 percent of the enrolled student population sign a petition saying they support the organization. \nAdditionally, the box has to raise money for a campus organization. In the case of the IUSA Rape Crisis Fund, the money is collected on behalf of IUSA then allocated to Middle Way House. Once on the program, the boxes need 10 percent of the student body to check them to remain on the registration program. \nSince fewer people checked the box for the fund, the IUSA box is now in risk of removal.\nMcKaig said the University has been generous with the 10 percent requirement recognizing the new system's drawbacks.\n"If you don't have 10 percent, maybe there's another approach to reach that audience," he said.\nHe said there has been no decision made about the IUSA box yet, but it could be removed next year.\nBecause rape is a prevalent issue on campus, Middle Way House provides service to IU students and many IU students volunteer at Middle Way House, Shortle said he thinks the fund is too relevant to be removed from the registration program. In fact, Hannah Gardi, IU senior and co-president of Friends of Middle Way House, said 60 percent of the people Middle Way House serves are IU students.\nGardi said removal of the box would be detrimental to Middle Way House.\n"It provides so much funding for our direct service, it is the heart of Middle Way House," she said. "With federal and state funding being cut, we really do rely on the IUSA rape fund to fund lots of our services."\nMiddle Way House Crisis Intervention Service Coordinator Colleen Yeakle said the fund is the primary source of support for Middle Way House's rape crisis services. She said the biggest rape crisis service provided is its On-Scene Advocacy program, which provides 24-hour support to victims at Bloomington Hospital. This includes providing support while doctors collect information for a rape kit.\n"(The victim's) just experienced the trauma," she said, "then (goes and has) this incredibly invasive exam for evidence. We're there to listen, negotiate with police and hold a hand."\nYeakle said the money raised through the rape crisis fund also supports Middle Way House's 24-hour crisis line. This hotline is available for victims to call not only when they're in trouble but also when they need someone to talk to. Yeakle said Middle Way House creates an environment where survivors feel they're not alone. And, she said, the hotline provides service to victims' friends and family members who are also suffering or don't know what to say to the victim.\n"Most of our staff and committed volunteers help to run that program," she said. "They're willing to carry a beeper 24 hours a day on weekends and every holiday. We have a volunteer who's ready to have her life disrupted to support someone."\nMcKaig said he thinks it's important to support necessary services and the threat of removal could encourage people to give.\n"We ought to do everything we can to minimize date rape," he said. "(The box) is an easy option for students to be part of the solution"