My name is Delia Alcorn and I am a sophomore at Virginia Tech. I serve in our student senate and my major is Crop and Soil Sciences. For the past year, I’ve been advocating for the adoption of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) programs at universities across the Commonwealth. I asked Delegate Shin to create this bill because, as a college student, it is my community that suffers from lack of access to appropriate care following sexual assault. Sexual assault on college campuses is pervasive. Nationally, about 7% of men and about 26% of women will experience sexual assault while persuing their college education. Due to the limited number of forensic examiners in the Commonwealth, college students in Virginia may find themselves with a transportation need ranging often from difficult to impossible following a sexual assault. Virginia State University students must travel 24 miles to Richmond for post-assault care. Students at UVA Wise must find a ride to Lebanon, 38 miles away. Students at the Virginia Military Institute must somehow cross the 39 miles to Fishersville. My fellow Hokies at Virginia Tech must travel 18 miles from campus for care. Students at Longwood University must find a ride, pay for a ride sharing service, or otherwise figure out a way to travel the 50 miles to Lynchburg for appropriate medical care and evidence collection following a recent sexual assault. Sexual assault forensic exams should not be a luxury to those privileged to have access to a car. Having this care at university student health centers would ensure all students at Virginia public universities have access to appropriate medical care and forensic evidence collection following an assault, improving outcomes for survivors and ensuring that key pieces of evidence are available at sexual assault trials. A number of leading higher education institutions across the country, including UVA, the University of Florida, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, UT Austin, and the University of Wisconsin Madison, have adopted on-campus SAFE programs, and I hope that Virginia public universities as a whole can follow their example. Thank you for your time and I ask you to please support this bill.

Madame Chair and members of the committee, I come before you today as a concerned parent and advocate. My daughter is a student at a public university in Virginia. Like all students, she has the right to pursue her education free from harassment, assault, and violence. Yet we know that sexual assault continues to occur far too often on university campuses. The 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey found that over 25% of undergraduate women reported experiencing sexual assault since starting college. Providing critical medical and psychological care following an assault should be an ethical responsibility for any institution of higher learning. Current resources are inadequate. The closest medical facility providing forensic examinations and trauma care can be almost 20 miles away from campus. Without reliable transportation, timely access is impossible for a traumatized survivor. Delays diminish the chance of collecting vital forensic evidence. Students should not have to choose between reporting an assault or urgently needed medical attention. And they shouldn’t be additionally traumatized by being paraded through the public setting of a hospital. Requiring university health centers to have Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs) would bring medical care and evidence collection directly to the students. I urge the Assembly to pass legislation requiring every public university student health center to have staff trained as SAFEs. SAFE programs connect survivors to counseling, legal help, testing, and treatment while preserving evidence if desired. The cost of exams is fully covered through the Victims Fund. Several leading universities in other states have successfully implemented campus-based programs. Students embark on a journey of growth and discovery when they set off for college. For survivors of violence, that journey takes an unimaginable turn. Healing begins when compassionate care is close at hand. I ask you to make that possible for Virginia's sons and daughters. I urge you to support House Bill 1342 to provide on-campus sexual assault care. Thank you for your consideration of this testimony.

I went to an all female college from 2001-2003 There was a local bar we would go to A bar owner put a date rape drug in my drink I went home very drunk and high He showed up in my apartment and took me to his place (my friends told me the next day) I woke up naked and having now idea what happened. It was terrible and is still taking me years to come to terms with. If there were posters and staff encouraging girls to report when they were sexually assaulted I might have reported it. But NO ONE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED ME. So I stayed quiet until now. Please help my daughters and the next generation of women to report these crimes without disparaging their characters.

I urge you to support HB1342. Remembering a friend barely escaping from getting pushed into a bedroom at a college party, I know that it is important that public colleges and universities have the ability to deal with sexual assault with seriousness and care.

I support HB1342. All students at all Virginia public universities should know that, in the event that they are raped, the school is prepared to provide proper care and collect evidence. Given the reality in which we live, this is just common sense.

Too many young women in Virginia have suffered rape in shame and silence -- for too many years. We don't expect the General Assembly to fix everything, but you can provide appropriate services on the campuses of our state colleges and universities. Please vote in favor of HB 1342 in your Higher Education Committee on Monday afternoon . I have studied the text (below) and am convinced that it is the least we can do right now.... Respectfully, Judith E. Brown, PhD Norfolk 757-289-7149 https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=hb1342 Certain baccalaureate public institutions of higher education; on-campus student health centers; certified sexual assault forensic examiners; physical evidence recovery kits. Requires each baccalaureate public institution of higher education that has an on-campus student health center to staff such center with at least one on-campus certified sexual assault forensic examiner, as defined in relevant law, for the purpose of administering a physical evidence recovery kit, as defined in relevant law, to any student who is in need of such a kit.