ETSU’s second annual “Escape from Rape: A Cultural Change” conference will be held on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Millennium Centre. This educational summit will last from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m with breakfast and lunch included. The conference is a result of the university’s work with the Johnson City Police Department and the Johnson City Sexual Assault Task Force trying to create a safer environment for students and Johnson City residents.
According to Program Coordinator of ETSU’s Office of Professional Development Ruth Taylor Read, the program has many goals that all work towards the prevention of sexual assault.
“The purpose of this conference is to train and educate our campus and community in the prevention, response, advocacy, and treatment for sexual assault victims,” Read said.
“The conference is an initial effort to eliminate misconceptions and to begin to create an environment that will better take care of victims/survivors. I’m excited about our results from last year’s event, and I’m even more excited about for this year and our presenters,” she said.
Conference speakers include Special Agent Bianca Pearson and Victim Advocate Beth Appleton of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Johnson City office. There will also be breakout sessions during the conference led by Carolyn Abbot, Mission Health forensic coordinator and several members of ETSU faculty. The plenary panel will consist of Patricia Turner, Frontier Health and ETSU Center for Community Outreach/Community Service, Phyllis Thompson, Director of Women’s Studies, and Donna Lockerby-Morrow, Assistant Director, Student Support Services at ETSU.
ETSU’s commitment to combat sexual assault resulted in ETSU being the first college in Tennessee to have the SANE program. SANE, which stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examination, seeks to provide medical care for victims of sexual assault.
The artwork “Breaking the Silence: A Survivor Art Show” formerly displayed at the Tipton Gallery, will be on display at the conference.
Read believes that the value of this conference lies not only in the information and artwork presented, but also in the community that arises over the course of the event.
“I am amazed at the resiliency, the victory, and the healing that takes place when survivors reach this part in their journey and connect with other survivors at this event,” Read said.
This event is open to everyone. For more information on enrollment fees, visit etsu.edu/academicaffairs/scs/professionaldevelopment or call the Office of Professional Development at 423-439-8267.
