A service for student survivors on campus could be gone by the end of this year.

University of Oregon post-grad law student, Kasia Mlynski, is providing a unique service for UO students under the help of the law school. Mlynski is currently the only resource that can offer legal advice, counseling and services for student survivors of sexual assault, domestic/dating violence or stalking.

“The university definitely values my position. By allowing this service to exist, the university is already a front-runner – very few universities offer free legal service for student survivors,” Mlynski said.

Her service is different from those that ASUO Legal Services and Student Advocacy Office provide, which helps students deal with rental contracts, insurance companies and housing issues, Mlynski said.

According to the Student Code of Conduct, ASUO Legal Services and Student Advocacy Office can’t represent a student against another student. This limits these services from helping survivors obtain restraining orders.

Mlynski, along with two other attorneys, help student survivors in civil legal matters, including obtaining protective orders. She can also serve as students’ advisor in the process of reporting to the university or law enforcement.

This service is rather new at the university. Starting in 2014, Mlynski is the first attorney to provide legal services for student survivors, she said. Under the guidance of professor Merle Weiner, UO Law School gave Mlynski a two-year grant to create this position.

In the last two years working at the UO clinic, Mlynski said the number of students that come for help grows each year. Some just came once for the legal advice, some keep coming back to receive moral support and one case lasted nine months, Mlynski recalled.

That’s about to change.

Coming to ASUO Senate meeting on May 4, Weiner said the grant that finances the service will end this September. She is hoping to find an alternative source of funding.

Without the funding, this service will be abolished, Mlynski said.

“It’s the matter of prioritizing resources. I understand that having this position costs [the university] money,” she said.

At the meeting, Weiner estimated that the service costs about $97,000 a year. ASUO President at the time, Helena Schlegel, said she hoped the senate can consider funding the service with the returning over-realized budget.

Senate did not know the exact amount of the returning over-realized budget. Senator President Max Burns said it’s unlikely senate could use the over-realized budget for Mlynski’s service.

According to the ASUO Constitution, the senate will have to have an open-process for all programs on campus to apply for the over-realized budget. The committee then interviews and selects a list of the final applicants to recommend to senate. The process takes more than four weeks, Over-Realized Budget Committee Chair Martin Martinez said.

“I don’t want to leave any false hope,” Burns said. “It’s not our fault if this is not going to happen. We wish we could have had more time.”

“We are hoping the university will help fund us, apart from ASUO,” she said. “There’s also a possibility that we could try and re-apply for this grant. But at this point, there’s no guarantee.”