The SOAR Office works to prevent and reduce the traumatic impact of sexual assault, dating and relationship violence, and stalking at St. John’s University.
We do this through outreach with community stakeholders, raising awareness among our student population and by supporting victims through providing on and off campus resources.
Guided by our Catholic and Vincentian values, the SOAR Office works to prevent and reduce the traumatic impact of sexual assault, dating and relationship violence, and stalking at St. John’s University.
We do this through trainings and events focused on providing students with the tools they need to make our community safer, outreach with community stakeholders, and supporting survivors with on- and off-campus resources.
Trainings and Workshops
SOAR believes everyone is affected when sexual violence occurs in our community. SOAR hosts ongoing trainings throughout the academic year for students to prevent incidents of sexual violence and make St. John’s a safer place. Interested in joining a training, or requesting one for your student group? See the list of options below.
Practicing affirmative consent empowers you to define your “yes!”: what you want and deserve in your relationships.
Consent should be knowing, voluntary, mutually understood, and enthusiastic.
Learn more about Knowing YES!: An Affirmative Consent Training.
It’s On Us. All of us. To be part of the solution.
When we see or hear something that isn’t right, we’re faced with a choice: “Do I get involved?” or “Do I mind my own business?”
Learn how to get involved using the three Ds of Bystander Intervention.
Healthy relationships are rooted in equality and respect. You should feel safe and comfortable to be true to yourself, share your feelings, and make decisions together. You enjoy spending time together but also give each other the space to thrive as individuals.
Learn more about building healthy relationships.
SOAR believes that we all play a role in preventing sexual violence. We outreach and provide trainings to employees at St. John’s to prepare them to prevent violence and respond to disclosures using trauma-informed practices.
Request a training for your team. The first response a survivor receives after disclosing an incident significantly impacts how they recover from the trauma. Learn about your role and the reporting process, resources for survivors, and trauma-informed responses when you hear a disclosure. Request Trauma-Informed Responses to Disclosures of Sexual and Dating Violence for your team!
Faculty can access Be The Bridge, a digital toolkit for implementing violence prevention initiatives in your classrooms and outlining the resources and responsibilities of faculty following a disclosure.
Support for Survivors
St. John’s University strives to reduce the traumatic impact of sexual violence on campus by providing a coordinated and trauma-informed response team. Here you will find resources for survivors and advice for how to help a friend.
For immediate support, please visit You Are Not Alone: Guide for Survivors.
If you’ve experienced sexual violence, please know that what happened is not your fault. You deserve safety and respect, always. You may be experiencing a wide range of feelings such as shock, fear, disbelief, recurring memories, outrage, confusion, sadness, despair, and anger. All of your feelings are valid. Whether you tell someone, who you tell, and how you tell your story is entirely your decision. Regardless of what you decide, there are many people at St. John’s University who are committed to supporting you.
Please visit You Are Not Alone: Guide for Survivors. Here you will find information to support you in your healing process, including; medical care options, emotional support, reporting options and remedies that may be available to you.
The Campus Support Advisor (CSA) is a confidential resource for anyone impacted by harm, who is curious if their relationship is healthy or not, or who is worried about something that happened to them or a friend. You can share your experience, ask questions, and receive support, including with the reporting process, requesting academic or housing accommodations, and connecting to mental health, medical, and legal services.
You have options. Healing is a journey and the CSA can support you wherever you are on that journey.
Contact the CSA at 718-990-8484, [email protected] and we will get back to you within 2 business days. You can also schedule an appointment online via the Medicat Portal by accessing your Sign On Dashboard, select Medicat, and the Campus Support Advisor – Sexual Violence Outreach, Awareness, & Response clinic.
For immediate support, please contact the 24/7 Mental Health Helpline at 718-990-6352.
It can be painful when we learn a loved one has experienced violence. Survivors can face judgment that may impact how they heal from the potentially traumatic event, so it’s important to #StartByBelieving.
Here are some quick tips to support survivors of violence in your life:
- Listen to them as they share at their own pace. They may want to share a lot, just a little, or not at all.
- Educate yourself on sexual and dating violence and the impact of trauma. Reactions that may seem surprising might actually be completely normal given the circumstances.
- Avoid harmful responses that can imply blame. Questions such as, “Why didn’t you call for help? Were you drinking? Why didn’t you leave?” can contribute to feelings of blame, guilt, and shame and are best to avoid.
- Ask them how you can help instead of assuming. We may think that we know what the next step is, but it’s important to empower the survivor to make the best choice for themselves.
- Take care of yourself, too. If you notice changes in your own sleeping or eating habits, or your emotions are heavily impacted, take a pause and reach out for support.
Upcoming Events
Yoga can reconnect you to, and bolster your inner strength while coping with long-lasting impacts of trauma.
Stay tuned for our Spring 2025 schedule for free yoga classes offered by Exhale to Inhale!
SOAR has events all throughout the academic year. To stay up to date about events, follow us on Instagram @soar_sju!
SOAR hosts two major events throughout the year: Take Back The Night in the Fall and Turn Off the Violence Week in the Spring.
Interested in collaborating on an event? Curious about other ways to get involved in SOAR? Contact us at [email protected].
From the Blog
Supporting College Student Survivors of Sexual Assault: a Guide for Friends and Family
In this blog post, we share best practices for supporting a student survivor of sexual violence with care, respect, and self-care.
Cyberstalking Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore
In today’s digital world, social media platforms offer avenues for personal connection. However, along with the benefits come risks, such as technology-facilitated crimes like cyberstalking. Despite the convenience of online interactions, it’s essential to remain on guard against the potential threats posed by anonymity and misuse of digital platforms.
