ASHLAND — Rhonda Bletner moved to Ashland from Delaware, Ohio, to work in her current position: Safe Haven’s campus advocate at Ashland University.
She began in October, and said as a campus advocate, her job consists of acting as a “confidential reporter.” It means students who experience sexual assault can come to her to talk about it, and she doesn’t have to report it to Title IX.
That’s different than if students were to visit a professor at the university about a sexual assault, for example. A professor is a mandatory reporter. Mandatory reporters have to take that information to the Title IX office on campus.
All AU faculty and staff, along with resident assistants, are mandatory reporters.
In Bletner’s estimation, her presence on campus matters because of her confidential status. For some survivors, she said, just talking about it and telling their story is necessary to move toward healing.
“You can choose not to do anything, but you do have to heal,” Bletner said.
She can also help students navigate their options, which include going through Title IX.
While Bletner’s position has existed at AU for about six months, getting word out has been challenging.
She has built relationships with the Title IX office on campus, and with Resident Life. Still, she said many students may not know she’s there.
That’s why April matters for Bletner.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
For 23 years, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center has billed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The month is supposed to be dedicated to raising visibility and understanding of sexual assault, which in turn, leads to prevention.
This month, Safe Haven — Ashland’s locally-run rape crisis and domestic violence shelter — and AU’s Title IX office have put together a full slate of events.
Many of those events will happen on Ashland University’s campus.
That’s important, according to Becky Garcia, Safe Haven’s program director, because women between the ages of 18-24 have a heightened risk of experiencing sexual assault.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 54% of sexual assault happens between the ages of 18-34, with the majority happening while victims are under age 30.
It also allows Bletner’s office to gain more visibility as an on-campus resource for students.
Still, many of Safe Haven’s events will also be open to the public.
“We need to keep talking about it, because evil thrives in darkness,” Garcia said. “If we don’t talk about it, then we become part of the problem.
“Ashlanders need to take care of Ashlanders.”
Sexual assault in Ashland
Garcia views Ashland as a community rich in the ways it takes care of others. But that can also mean it’s difficult to acknowledge that sexual violence happens here. It does happen, though.
According to Ashland police chief Dave Lay, the Ashland Division of Police recorded 49 sex offenses in 2023. Lay added that “sex offenses” include any misconduct outlined in the 2907 section of the Ohio Revised Code.
The Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau said it recorded 56 sex offenses in 2023. Those are cases that were reported and completed, but they may not have resulted in indictments.
Like with the city police, those sex offenses include any misconduct from section 2907 of the Ohio Revised Code.
The Clery Act requires college campuses to report campus crime statistics. AU’s latest campus crime report lists only four reports of forcible sex offenses for 2022, and no reports of non-forcible sex offenses.
That’s a decrease from nine forcible sex offenses in 2021.
But both Garcia and Bletner said the police department and campus safety numbers likely aren’t representative of the actual rate of sexual assault that happens in Ashland and on campus.
Sexual assault is notoriously underreported, Garcia said.
One in five women and one in 71 men experience rape in their lifetimes. For men, the rates on a college campus are higher. One in 16 men are sexually assaulted on college campuses, while one in five women are sexually assaulted on campus.
But, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 63% of sexual assaults go unreported to the police.
So, low numbers reported in Ashland don’t necessarily indicate to Garcia and Bletner that the problem is under control.
Instead, underreporting can happen for several reasons.
Fear of retaliation, shame, a long process toward justice and victim blaming can all impact survivors’ decisions to report sexual assaults, Bletner and Garcia said.
Det. Kara Pearce, with the Ashland Division of Police, said reporting a sexual assault and having to re-tell one’s story come with trauma. It requires comfort between victims and detectives handling their cases, she added.
When you give victims a chance to tell their story, you flip the script from them being a victim and ashamed, to a survivor, who can bring awareness and help prevent it.
Becky Garcia, Safe Haven Program Director
Participation in Sexual Assault Awareness Month and showing that Ashland supports survivors can help them bring their stories to light, though, Garcia said.
She believes the most important thing to remember when it comes to sexual assault is that it’s never the survivor’s fault.
“There may be bad judgment calls along the way, but the consequence should never be sexual assault,” Garcia said.
Ashland events
During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the events Safe Haven is hosting run the gamut in terms of their purpose. Some focus on prevention, others on awareness and still others on healing.
Below is a list of events and their descriptions.
With the exception of the art contests and sexual assault trivia, all events are open to the public. The self defense class will be open to the public until the class fills.
Pearce, the Ashland police detective, will attend the “Cover the Cruiser” event on April 12. She hopes the event shows how many people have been through sexual assault, and how many people support survivors.
The month-long calendar also includes options like Glow Yoga, a self-defense class and an art contest that offers survivors the chance to express themselves.
“When you give victims a chance to tell their story, you flip the script from them being a victim and ashamed, to a survivor, who can bring awareness and help prevent it,” Garcia said.
Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, resources in Ashland can help.
Safe Haven has a 24/7 hotline, which can be reached by dialing 419-289-8085. You can also reach them during office hours by calling 419-282-6097.
Safe Haven has an online resources page as well.
Garcia said Safe Haven is working on a text option, which she hopes will be up and running by the summer.
Safe Haven exists as part of Appleseed Community Mental Health Center.
To reach Appleseed, you can call their office during office hours at 419-281-3716. They also have a 24/7 crisis line: 419-289-6111. Or, you can access their crisis text line by texting 4HOPE to 741741.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 too, and can be accessed by dialing 1-800-656-4673.
If you are in immediate danger, you should call 911.
This independent, local reporting provided by our Report for America Corps members is brought to you in part by the generous support of the Ashland County Community Foundation.