Crimson and Gold Connection; Brooke Powell

Welcome to Crimson and Gold Connection, keeping you connected to the people and current events at Pittsburgh State University. This is Trent Johnson, thanks for tuning into Crimson and Gold Connection. Today our guest is Brooke Powell, sexual assault advocate and advisor for students for violence prevention at Pittsburgh State University. Brooke, thanks so much for taking time out of your day to join us. You graduated from Pittsburgh State in 2007. How did you end up at Pittsburgh State University and how would you say that your time was here as a student? I finished my associates at the back of the community college and I'd always liked Pittsburgh and so it was just a joint decision with my husband at the time to come over here for classes to finish up my undergrad. And I loved being a student here. I do regret not being as involved as some of the students I work with on campus. But I love the town and I think it's a great university, great community and I couldn't

be more pleased being here. When you were attending classes at Pittsburgh State, your initial plan was to be an English teacher. With most individuals, plans change and that's no different with your journey. What are you doing now? How did that become your career pathway? I started my master's and was working on that and I had a friend working for Safe House and there was a position open. At that time, I was really burnt out with school and thought, I'm going to, I just want to work for a while. I got the position at Safe House, kind of doing some grant supervising and stuff like that and that position ran out and I applied to be an advocate. So I've been an advocate for seven years now, working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, providing direct services to them. And then in 2011, PSU discussed having me come on campus and spend some of my work time on campus and so I've been doing that ever since.

What is your favorite part about what you do? Well, in providing advocacy to victims of violence, I would have to say that moment when the victim finally feels safe and it's kind of a personal achievement for them, accomplishment and seeing them finally feel happy and comfortable. That always really is a moving time for me because I know that the journey they've been honest been so difficult, as far as when I'm here on campus working with the SVP students, just seeing those students when they're doing a presentation to their peers about violence, seeing those students just come into their own and see their passion about what they're discussing and teaching other students and it's just kind of an ah-ha moment for me. It always gets me seeing their passion and them spreading the word. How do you think it's important to have somebody on a college campus that victims of domestic

violence or sexual assault can talk to and visit with and share their stories? Well, being a victim is incredibly difficult. There's so many different dynamics that those victims are facing and one of the dynamics that they can feel and experiences feeling alone and feeling isolated and not having anyone to help them through getting out of the situation or working through the situation. So I feel like it's incredibly important to make sure that the students know that I'm on campus to help them if they have been a victim and that they don't have to do this process or experiences process alone. They have someone that they can talk to, ask questions, someone that can help them move forward, get through what they've experienced and PSU is providing a wonderful service by having me on campus to help these students. How do you feel that awareness campaigns such as It's On Us, which has been a big one over the past year or so, has helped raise awareness for these issues? They've been incredibly powerful in just opening people's eyes to this is happening.

This is a real thing. This is a real conversation we need to be having in our communities and on our campuses. So just by raising that awareness in return, you're giving the victim their voice back, you're making maybe a victim that wasn't comfortable in coming forward and talking to somebody, making them feel like I can do this. People understand, people are going to support me, they're on my side. And so I just feel like in the long run, it's giving those victims their voices back. What do you think the best course of action would be for, say, parents of high school age students and having this conversation on such a difficult topic before their kids might come to a college campus where they're set free, so to speak? A good thing to do to speaking in, upcoming students is making sure that they know the resources. I mean, we don't ever want to think that our child could be sexually assaulted or be a victim of dating violence, but making sure you're just having the conversation and leaving

that door open and the conversation open that if this happens, we will support you, we can help you. We're not going to blame you. This is not your fault and making sure there's students know of the resources in the communities that they're going to, if they are going, you know, leaving home, but just leaving that door open that, if something does happen, we're going to support you and we're going to help you through it and making sure that door is open. You are recently the winner of the Outstanding Advisor Award at the Baucus Area 5 Meeting of the Minds Conference in Kansas City. Explain what this award means to you after all the hard work that you put into what you do on a daily basis. I can't honestly put it into words what the award meant to me. It was incredibly unexpected and it just meant the world to me. The nomination was written by a student of mine and also the student. We've had a journey together and working together through what she's been through

as a victim and the letter just expressed what a difference me just giving her some time meant and it just really touched me and you know, I don't do this work to get recognition. I don't do this work to, you know, win advisor of the year. I do it because it's incredibly important to me and it's my passion and so to be recognized like that. It's just above and beyond anything. It was a wonderful feeling and it'll be one of my most cherished memories when I look back someday on this job. What can you say about Pittsburgh State University in their role in this and getting the ball rolling on having you on campus as an advisor? The fact that PSU kind of going out of the mold and having a victim's advocate on campus that provides services to their students and faculty and also having that advocate training students on the dynamics of violence and what victims go through.

It's just kind of setting the mold for other universities to follow. It's a great partnership and we've accomplished great things and we're going to continue moving forward but PSU has been amazing. Our guest today has been Brooke Powell, sexual assault advocate and advisor for students for violence prevention at Pittsburgh State University. She was just named the Outstanding Advisor at the Baucus Area 5 Meeting of the Minds Conference in Kansas City. For Crimson and Gold Connection and KRPS, this is Trent Johnson. Join us for Crimson and Gold Connection, Wednesdays at 8.50 and Fridays at 350.