In a recent development announced last week, the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee ended its long-standing contract with the Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) of Lane County citing that the University of Oregon has been facilitating more accessible support systems.
According to the press release announcing the end of the contract, SASS reportedly assisted three UO students and received $52,000 of incidental fees in their contract with the ACFC in the 2019-20 school year.
Related: “ACFC will not renew contract with SASS”
The Emerald asked UO students how they felt about the end of the contract.
Dylan Farrel, first-year journalism student:
“Obviously you can’t put a price on the support that people get in these situations, especially if they are effective and helpful. I don’t know if I would have enough information to form a full opinion, but based on what I have heard as it relates to how much the in-house program is costing us versus how many people they are able to help, it sounds like a reasonable decision as long as there are systems in place to help protect students in the future. ”
Kaity VanHoose, first-year Journalism student:
“I think [the effects] will show up in how [other programs] work out over the next few years in comparison to SASS. Right now, if it’s funded by fees taken from students, it will be interesting to see how [the ACFC] uses their funds.”
Anna Goodmaker, second-year exchange student studying english literature:
“It’s sad that it’s being cut when there should be so many more support programs. As an exchange student, I hear about stories and how much support there should be. I think there should be more evidence of [the UO] facilitating new support systems.”
