Thanks to Project Beloved, UW-Green Bay University Police offer soft interview room for victims of sexual assault on campus and in the community.

Experience the calm of the soft interview room at the open house on Monday, December 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located within the University Police offices on the Green Bay campus.

Thanks to a collaboration with Project Beloved UW-Green Bay students and the community now have access to a soft interview room. As the first soft interview room in the UW system, (sponsored by Project Beloved,) this room is private, calming, comforting and allows victims the space to share their story. Typically victim statements are taken within the cold, white walls of an interrogation room; which is why UW-Green Bay campus police officer Kelly Jones is excited to share this potentially valuable and comforting resource for students who have been victims of sexual assault.

The University Police work closely with the campus Wellness Center to support sexual assault survivors. “But Wellness Center staff can’t be on campus 24/7 like we are,” says Jones. For some survivors, the need to share their experience may be immediate. “We want this room to be resource to sexual assault survivors, where they feel comforted, safe and that their privacy is of the utmost importance,” says Jones.

Project Beloved is a nation-wide program that works to educate, advocate and collaborate to change the conversation about sexual assault and empower survivors to find their voices. According to Project Beloved, research shows a trauma-informed victim-centered approach is considered a best practice when investigating sexual assault.

Project Beloved partners with law enforcement agencies by providing them with the tools and resources to develop a soft interview room to facilitate a trauma informed investigation of sexual assault.  On the UW-Green Bay campus this room is private and available 24/7 and does not impede the process if a student decides to press charges. Local county and community law enforcement agencies also have access to the soft interview room. “While our students are the main priority, we want to be sure this resource is available to our law enforcement partners in the surrounding communities as well.”

To learn more or to speak with an officer about using the space, students should call ext. 2300 and community members can call 920-465-2300 and speak to someone at any time. In addition, UW-Green Bay University Police are holding an open house on December 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to make the soft interview room available for students, staff, faculty and the community to check out and to learn more about how they can utilize the space.