Hein, left, listens as Christian endorses program
KINGSTON – Ulster County has hired a certified rape crisis counselor
to address violence on college campuses.
County Executive Michael Hein made the announcement of the appointment
of Cynthia Craft Monday flanked by officials of SUNY New Paltz and SUNY
Ulster.
The new position will be funded by a $140,000 two-year state “Enough is Enough” grant. The individual hired for the new position will have a legal background allowing them to help victims navigate the criminal justice system and reporting procedures, as well as provide necessary training to students, administrators and staff.
This individual will not be employed by either Ulster County university; rather, she will act independently under the Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program, splitting their time between both schools and attending to the some 11,200 students between them.
Hein said although Ulster’s universities are safe, with SUNY New Paltz having only seven reported cases of sexual abuse last year and SUNY Ulster having none, he believes it is the county’s duty to remain vigilant and to make sure they continue offering the best resources available to help combat the serious issue on college campuses.
“I encourage all students and parents to feel very safe at Ulster County universities and at SUNY Ulster as well. They’re very safe facilities with an incredible history of that,” said Hein. “That said, we have an obligation to ensure that we provide all of the assistance and make it easy and accessible for anyone who not only wants to learn more, but also someone who becomes a victim in those situations,” he said.
SUNY New Paltz President Dr. Donald Christian said New Paltz has always put a lot of attention towards combating sexual assault on their campus and looks at this new position as just one more way they’re continuing to evolve their model for dealing with the issue.
“We see our practices currently as models, and indeed we know that they’re models that other campuses have adopted,” said Christian. “So, what we’re looking for are ways that we can make use of these resources to refine what it is we’re currently doing, to expand the programming, to be sure that the resources are helping us be sure that more and more students are aware of the options available to them, take advantage of training like bystander intervention training; and so, we don’t see this as radical shift in the direction we go, but a continuance to help us do what we’ve already been doing, better and more extensively.”
