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CAPS to Offer Support Group for Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct

By Heldenfalls , in Local News , at September 2, 2019 Tags: , , ,

This article was featured in our Fall 2019 Print Edition. Copies are available throughout campus. Visit our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for location details. 


Beginning this fall, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) will offer a weekly support group for Texas A&M University students accused of sexual misconduct. The new offering by CAPS comes after Texas A&M President Michael K. Young ordered extensive internal and external reviews of A&M’s Title IX processes last fall. The reviews were conducted as a result of numerous current and former students publicly alleging that the process lacked transparency and that their Title IX complaints were mishandled by university officials.

“We feel that offering a support group for students accused of sexual misconduct will be immensely beneficial,” said Dr. Lewis Molten, the psychologist organizing the group. “Navigating the Title IX process can be very stressful and disruptive, so we want to equip students with the coping skills they need to continue to excel in their academic and athletic endeavors until their investigation concludes.”

Reactions to the new offering have been mixed among the student body. Some students have praised the expansion of on-campus mental health services, while others have criticized the move as representing the university’s failure to support survivors of sexual violence. “Even after all the publicity, task forces, and long emails from President Young, CAPS still doesn’t offer an on-campus support group for survivors,” said Angela Fuero, a sophomore math major active in survivor advocacy on campus. “Local resources for survivors may be excellent, but they’re inaccessible to, say, a freshman without a car who is struggling to even leave her dorm room.”

Last week, students began circling a petition online asking the university and CAPS to offer a support group for victims in lieu of offering similar options for those accused. The university has yet to respond, but President Michael K. Young is reportedly drafting a new campus-wide email pledging to end campus sexual assault. 

 

—Heldenfalls