The Sexual Assault Response Team is dedicated to raising awareness about sexual assault, increasing the safety of our students, and coordinating responses to sexual assault victims in the Georgia Southern Community. It is our hope, that through education and consciousness-raising, the incidence and ignorance of sexual assault can be drastically reduced. SART strives to continually update the services offered to sexual assault survivors. Our goal is to communicate to survivors that they are not alone.
SART Functions Include:
Programming Development and Implementation
Coordination of Response Services & Protocols
Training
Curriculum Development
Consultation
Community Engagement
Fundraising
Research
Participation in local judicial court circuit SARTs
SART has been actively involved in Sexual Assault Awareness Programming on the national level. The team has been recognized for its outstanding breadth of activities at conferences and by well-known activists. In 2007, SART founded the Georgia College Sexual Assault Association Network to coordinate efforts throughout the state for legislative reform regarding sexually violent crimes. And in 2008, SART was awarded the Gold Excellence Award from NASPA for programming in the area of Health and Wellness.
Team Leadership
Image of Dr. Lauren Patterson
LAUREN O. PATTERSON, PsyD, CCTP Chair, Sexual Assault Response Team
Dr. Lauren Patterson (she/her/hers) serves as the chair of the Sexual Assault Response Team at Georgia Southern University. She is also a licensed psychologist and serves on the Board of Directors for the Teal House: Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center.
Favorite quote: “It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” Paulo Coelho.
Image of Ms. Baylor Zuniga
BAYLOR ZUNIGA Graduate Assistant, Sexual Assault Response Team
Ms. Zuniga (she/her/hers) received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Georgia Southern University. She is currently a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Georgia Southern. Her other interests include walking on Statesboro’s many beautiful outdoor trails, watching Netflix documentaries, and visiting the beach at Tybee Island every chance she gets.
Favorite quote: “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.” – Walt Disney
And there are many more members of the team! The Sexual Assault Response Team is a multidisciplinary team with representatives from various on and off-campus departments and organizations. Visit the Membership page to see a list of the departments and organizations where our many members come from.
JED Campus is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation designed to help colleges and universities enhance emotional well-being and mental health promotion efforts, reduce substance abuse, and prevent suicide among students.
