One semester following the R.A.P.E. Center’s name change to the Advocacy Center, officials noticed an overall positive response.

‘We have had many students, staff and faculty comment to us that the name change communicates a much more welcoming message,’ said Janet Epstein, director of the Advocacy Center, in an email. ‘All are more comfortable with the name, and many have commented to us that the name reflects our mission so much more accurately than the previous name.’

A group of students, including R.A.P.E. Center volunteers, staff and faculty, decided on the new name at the beginning of the semester after concerns were raised.

‘We were very concerned by reports from students that the R.A.P.E. Center name led some students to the incorrect assumption that our services are limited to assistance regarding incidents of rape rather than a broad spectrum of concerns related to interpersonal violence,’ Epstein said.

The Advocacy Center, located at 111 Waverly Ave. in the lower level of the Syracuse University Health Services building, provides year-round 24-hour support and assistance seven days a week for SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, Epstein said.

The mission of the center is to provide support and advocacy for those who have been effected by sexual and/or relationship violence, to coordinate comprehensive campus violence prevention and education programs, and engage students in dialogue about violence prevention, Epstein said.

Department of Public Safety Lt. Kathy Pabis had a similar response to the name change and found it to be an easier way to refer those who need assistance.

Pabis said circumstances don’t always include rape and that sometimes it could be a case of domestic offense. Now it’s easier for victims to go to the Advocacy Center because they know it’s not just a rape center, she said.

‘We do not deal with just one gender. We work with all walks of life and cultures, and you want to refer people to where they feel comfortable,’ Pabis said.

Sarah Taddeo, a junior newspaper journalism major, said she would be far more comfortable seeking help from the renamed center.

‘R.A.P.E. Center sounds like a 911 call. The name Advocacy Center sounds like they would have more resources than the R.A.P.E. Center, like they would advocate on your behalf, not just count you off like you’re another number,’ Taddeo said.

Along with the name change is a new marketing campaign designed to better inform community members of the Advocacy Center’s services, Epstein said.

Audrey Genest, sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major, agreed with Taddeo that the name change provides a more positive connotation, yet she is afraid the name will be confusing to students. Though the new name implies that the center is comforting, it fails to inform students of the resources available, she said.

‘It’s a change, but I think it can cause confusion because people don’t understand that it’s a change,’ Genest said. ‘Now there’s a positive connotation. It sounds like a nice place to go, but people won’t know that.’

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Published on December 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm