One of the first people I thought of when thinking of Peace Studies professionals I could interview for this project was the lovely Dr. Dani Smith. At Chapman University, Dr. Dani Smith serves as the C.A.R.E.S. coordinator and sexual assault crisis counselor. She also currently co-leads “Healthy Panther,” a First-year orientation program, and the C.A.R.E.S. members arrange information sessions and activities to increase sexual assault awareness. Dr. Smith is a useful person to interview because my topic revolves around sexual violence guidelines. She began working for the Department of Preventative Education in 1993. Her main areas of interest were preventing sexual assault and educating people about drugs and alcohol. However, soon after being hired, two R.A.s approached her and informed her that Chapman University required more sexual assault education. These two students and Dr. Smith started C.A.R.E.S. and went to the freshman seminars to educate students on rape and sexual assault. Furthermore, Dr. Dani Smith wrote the first sexual assault policy and conduct code for Chapman University. She argues that C.A.R.E.S. dealt with cases well, as professors who were experts on the subject were on the hearing board.
With the Title IX coordinator’s institution, the program completely shifted because they had to follow mandates put out by the federal government. Furthermore, she argues that investigators need more training than merely going to a conference. Also, she states that since many cases deal only with people’s accounts, it can be incredibly difficult to discern the truth. She claims that not much has changed since she founded C.A.R.E.S. in 1993, yet she is still optimistic and also argues that the world is not equitable for women. She talked about how instead of being a part of the adjudication process, she stands by the side of the survivors and supports them during the process. Dr. Dani Smith provided information on sexual assaults on college campuses, including the prevalence of attacks by former acquaintances on survivors of sexual assault as well as the prevalence of sexual assault within fraternities and by athletes. Additionally, she claimed that rather than the victim suing the school for wrongly handling the issue, assailants were more likely to sue the school for investigating an assault.
To combat these statistics, she stated that education and intolerance of sexual assault are the most important tools. Dr. Dani Smith works tremendously hard and is passionate about making Chapman University faculty and students feel supported. Dr. Dani Smith’s statements emphasize the need for continued training and experience in treating situations of sexual assault. Her viewpoint emphasizes the necessity of ongoing training and the advancement of investigative methods to guarantee appropriate case management of sexual assaults and assistance for victims. This relates to my thesis because I can utilize her suggestions for improvements in the field for my research.