SUNY Geneseo SART
Student Advocate Response Team
Contact us via Geneseo Pathways at: (585) 237-8860 8 pm to 8am daily while classes are in session during fall and spring semesters
We launched on October 25, 2012
Our service
The Student Advocate Response Team (SART) is a free service to Geneseo students seeking medical transport following a sexual assault. Students will be transported by a trained driver and accompanied by a student advocate who is available to provide confidential, nonprofessional support. Upon arriving to the hospital, an advocate specifically trained in sexual assault will be contacted to provide assistance at the hospital, including during the medical visit. The driver will depart and return at a later time to pick up the student as needed. Drivers are trained through Geneseo First Response, and student advocates are trained through SUNY Geneseo Pathways.
This is a confidential service. Students transported by the SARTeam are not required to report the incident.
Our goals
Our goal is to ensure that medically stable students who are sexually assaulted can obtain specialized medical attention, a forensic evaluation, or both. We plan to provide a confidential transportation service, in most cases, to Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH) in Rochester, which staffs a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).
Hours of operation
We will offer this service during the fall and spring semesters when students are on campus and classes are in session (i.e., not over breaks). During these times, at least one advocate and one driver will be on call from 8 pm to 8 am, 7 days a week. There will also be a back up advocate and driver on call.
Limitations and disclaimers
- Transportation services are offered only to students who have been sexually assaulted within the last few weeks.
- Transport will be to SMH, or in special circumsances agreed upon by the advocate and driver, another hospital in the greater Rochester area.
- The SARTeam can transport Geneseo students only if they are medically stable, coherent, and not severely impaired by drugs or alcohol. In the event that a student requires emergency medical care, the SARTeam will call for an ambulence. The student requiring emerency treatment will be responsible for ambulance fees.
- Geneseo students must be available to be picked up within 5 miles or 15 minutes of campus, whichever is farther.
- The SARTeam will not be able to transport friends or family with the student seeking assistance unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- Misuse of the SARTeam services will incur financial costs based on NYS travel reimbursement guidelines plus a fee added to the mis-user's college account.
Our administrative board (as of Fall 2013)
Advocate Coordinator: Melissa Berbenes (Geneseo Pathways)
Driver Coordinator: Kristen Lehner (Geneseo First Response)
Other board members: Jennifer Katz (SARTeam Director, Associate Professor, Psychology) Melinda DuBois (Health & Counseling) and Scott Kenney (University Police)
More on campus resources
The SARTeam works closely with staff from Livingston County Rape Crisis. Additional on campus advocacy resources include:
a) Melinda DuBois, Deputy Title IX Coordinator/Advocate for Students and Administrative Director of Health and Counseling (during normal business hours) -- 585-245-5736
b) offices listed at www.geneseo.edu/health/sexual-assault
Advocate and driver qualifications
Advocates and drivers are SUNY Geneseo students who have completed training offered through the psychology department, though Geneseo First Response, or both.
Advocates successfully completed a 10 week voluntary training focused on general helping skills before joining Geneseo Pathways. For more information, see http://www.geneseo.edu/pathways
Drivers undergo a less extensive training on sensitivity to crisis situations and sexual assault. In addition, drivers must have a clean driving record, be cleared through the college LENS program, and complete a practice run to SMH.