Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 14, 1995 TAG: 9503140098
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He sat down with them and asked what he could do to help stop sexual assaults on campus. What he found out could end up in a legislative package, said his spokesman, Mark Miner.
Political wags might note that the Republican attorney general is considered a major contender in the '97 race for governor. But students who'll meet Gilmore in his statewide swing across campuses this spring are getting a chance to obtain serious answers to their serious questions from the man in charge. And when you're in college, that doesn't happen a lot.
In his appearance at Radford University, Gilmore was accompanied by Pat Brown and Betty Jones of the Women's Resource Center in Radford. Randal Duncan, Radford's commonwealth's attorney, moderated the discussion. The panelists responded to varied inquiries.
There was the woman in the second row who wondered about private insurance coverage for the medical expenses of assaulted women. To what extent is it available? Gilmore said he'd check on it.
There was the soft-spoken young woman sitting near the front of the room who informed the packed gathering that she'd been assaulted in high school-and wondered if awareness efforts shouldn't start long before college.
"We hear your comment over and over," said Brown, who believes the subject should be addressed in the public schools, and "would dovetail with family/life education."
There was the young man in the back of the room who wanted to know who is the final authority when it comes to deciding whether or not there's enough evidence in a case to prosecute.
The answer to his question was unequivocal: The commonwealth's attorney.
Gilmore is traveling on behalf of the Family and Children's Trust Fund, a governor-appointed board created by the legislature that raises money to fight domestic violence. After his visit to Radford University, he sat in on a similar forum at Virginia Tech.
Since June of last year, the Radford-based women's center has counseled 45 Radford University women who reported assaults, 21 from Virginia Tech, two from Hollins College, and two from New River Community College. They've also counseled 95 others who are not university students.
That was another issue raised at last week's session - this business of reporting campus assault statistics. The assaults often occur off-campus, at a party or in somebody's apartment. By July 1, Jones said, the center hopes to report combined, "unofficial" statistics of the number of assaults handled by her office that include more of those off-campus attacks.
Judging from the number of students who showed up at a special session on the Thursday before spring break, this is a problem that's really on the minds of students. FACT, with Gilmore as its spokesman, has issued a pamplet that includes lots of safety tips for students.
At a news conference, he noted that college campuses are an environment where young people gather, alcohol often is added to the mix, and predators might find it easy to take advantage of people.
It is his hope, he said, "to enhance the independence and control of women over their own lives."
The women's resource center has a couple of hotlines. Call 639-1123, or 1-800-788-1123.
Allison Blake is the Roanoke Times & World-News' higher-education reporter.
by CNB