SGA President Diego Arriaga, VP Austin Craig and Chief of Staff Daniela Gonzalez along with Harris County DA Kim Ogg relaunching the sexual assault initiative on Oct. 29, 2024. | Anna Monroe/The Cougar
On Oct. 29, The Student Government Association and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office relaunched a project to aid and prevent sexual assault on campus.
SGA received $63,235 from the DA office. Because of this investment, students will not have to pay during the process of submitting a report. Funds will also go to sexual assault awareness events, self-defense items, CAPS and Equal opportunity services.
According to the 2024 Annual Security Report, reports of sex offenses on campus increased 18.75% last year compared to 2022. Dating violence increased 21.74% and stalking went up 30.77% according to SGA.
The plan for this project is to reduce reports of sexual assault and create an environment where students can report cases securely. The DA office will work with the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services and Title IX office.
Prevention, comfort and self-defense items will be provided as well as educational speaking events throughout the semester.
“The crime (of sexual assault) robs people of their dignity and innocence and sometimes their physical well-being,” said Harris County DA Kim Ogg. “So I have known in my career that obtaining justice for crime victims is just as big a part of the system as protecting individuals’ rights. We need to do both.”
When it comes to reporting cases, the Title IX office will take reports, online or in person, and the reports will go through the Dean of Students office. These cases have always been protected by Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act which provides a higher sense of protection and security.
Reporting parties can choose how they want to communicate with the individuals on their case, whether through text, call or even letters if preferred. Students have the choice to file and stop the process at any time.
Support services like proper forensic interviews and Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners will be provided. The nurses are trained sexual assault responders who know how to handle these stressful situations.
“We’re prosecuting thousands of cases each year, and how many sexual assaults occur in Harris County? We don’t know because we don’t have good reporting,” Ogg said. “We have hopeless victims. Many times, people feel like it’s not worth calling the police because nothing’s going to happen or they’re going to be embarrassed or brutalized by our system.”
The $63,235 given by the DA office came from criminal forfeiture funds, which are taken from drug dealers, human traffickers and even illegal racing.
Traditionally, these funds would go to police departments. The administration’s concept was to deliver back to the community from the ‘bad guys’ and relieve sexual assault victims from the financial burden of submitting and processing a report.
“The goal is to help offset those charges,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Kittle. “All of the internal processes have no charges to students.”
The SGA and the DA office find it critical that student safety is prioritized in higher education. Students can contact the Title IX office through titleix@uh.edu and visit their office at 4367 Cougar Village Drive, Bldg 526. Students can also call the Student Affairs office at (713) 743-5390 or email them at uhdsa@uh.edu.
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“Harris County DA gifts SGA $63,235 to relaunch sexual assault initiative” was originally posted on The Cougar