Sexual and domestic violence, harassment and assault are some of the most pressing issues that vulnerable populations face not only at San José State, but across the globe.
From the Office of Title IX and Equal Opportunity, over 300 reports have been submitted. Around 84% of the complainants were from students and the majority of the cases were predominantly sexual harassment and assault or misconduct cases, according to a 2022-23 annual report.
SJSU has multiple resources for victims of sexual violence, including free programs from the Gender Equity and PRIDE Center as well as the Office of Title IX and Equal Opportunity.
The Gender Equity Center is a resource hub that is focused on social justice, equity, safety and provides a multitude of tools to help students succeed, according to its website.
SJSU’s PRIDE Center serves as a home for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus and engages students with supportive programs, organizations and events throughout the academic year, according to its webpage.
Bonnie Sugiyama, a director for the PRIDE and Gender Equity Center, said she noticed the majority of students who come in for assistance have experienced violence and seek programs for healing.
Recently, SJSU administration announced that the “Spartan Safe” app would be available for students, providing tools to protect students from crime and featuring an effective way to report suspicious activity.
“Part of the healing aspect for some folks is helping with the prevention work,” Sugiyama said.
Selena Hernandez, SJSU’s Campus Survivor Advocate, said her main goal and purpose is to advocate for the survivor and provide support, which will look different for each survivor.
“I always tell people to believe survivors because I think it’s so often — unfortunately — people question survivors or their experiences in general,” Hernandez said. “And when survivors step into my space — a lot of the time — I’m the first person telling them that I believe them.”
Hernandez said while SJSU has improved its programs drastically over the years, there is a lack of violence prevention on campus and the university can contribute more to educate students.
However, San José State has the lowest amount of staff compared to the majority of public universities in California, according to the CSU website.
“Stepping into classrooms, stepping into residence halls and stepping into registered student organizations,” Hernandez said. “But we first need the kind of infrastructure to do that.”
Jessica Short, a program coordinator for the Gender Equity Center, said the center helps educate students on violence prevention.
“We do a lot of programming during Women’s History Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” Short said. “We also do events that talk about topics that don’t just fall under the gender-based violence umbrella.”
Short said some of the resources the center offers include free menstrual products, NARCAN test strips, pregnancy tests and a place for people to relax.
“Long-term healing doesn’t necessarily just include what a violence preventionist or an advocate does,” Short said.
