A fun night out took a horrible twist when you woke up in a strange place and couldn't find your pants. You know someone did something terrible to you, but you don't know what to do about it.
A co-worker, student or total stranger forced you to do sexual acts against your will or abused you physically, mentally or emotionally.
Your significant other hits you when angry, but threatens to beat you worse you if you tell anyone.
Often, there's no one for victims to turn to for medical help, legal guidance or counseling. Too many victims suffer alone.
Ball State University needs to continue the Office of Victims Services so people who have been assaulted, abused, discriminated or otherwise victimized have a safe place to go for advice and help.
The grant that paid for the program's start wasn't renewed, but the university needs to find the money to make sure this continues so it can help as many people as possible. In the first year alone, the number of reported sexual assaults at Ball State increased from one during 2005 to 11 during 2006. That doesn't necessarily mean there were more assaults, but instead that more victims felt they could come forward.
This is an invaluable program, and it must maintain the secure, confidential and welcoming atmosphere it has built. If the university takes the program over, it will probably expand its purpose to helping all victims, regardless of their sex or problems.
Everyone at Ball State would finally have a safe place to seek help during a crisis. The program isn't something people think about or believe they need until there is a problem. And then it's too late to create something.
Ball State has a strong program already, and Kay Bales, vice president of Student Affairs, needs to immediately approve the Counseling Center's proposal so there is no lag time between the grant's end and the university taking over the program.
No one should be a victim, but there needs to be a safety net for anyone who is.
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