Our confidential response services are for any individual impacted by interpersonal, include gender and identity-based violence. Our confidential status means we do not report to the Office for Institutional Equity and only report to the police under specific circumstances (suspicion of child abuse, elder abuse, threats to harm yourself or others). This positions us uniquely in our ability to provide support to the campus community.

Under CRR 600.010.E.4, RSVP Center staff are approved as designated confidential employees, and therefore are excluded from the definition of mandated reporters with respect to all types of discrimination or harassment that the Center staff become aware of in the course of their work for the Center.

Our case management services can include:

• Confidential emotional support from professional trauma-informed staff.
• On-going case management as needed by professional staff:
  • Mental Health Support:  Provide referrals to Employee Assistance or outside agencies, if desired.
    • Counseling and Groups are available at MU Counseling Center and True North of Columbia.
  • Legal Support:  Work with law enforcement and court systems to ensure survivors are able to understand and pursue their desired legal options.
    • Assistance with Ex Parte and Order of Protection processes
    • Assistance with Stalking log documentation.
  • Campus System Support:  Work with the Office for Institutional Equity to ensure survivors are able to understand and pursue their desired options through these university processes.
    • Additional support offices:
      • Care Team
      • Office for Student Accountability and Support
      • Disability Center
      • Health and Wellbeing
  • Housing Support:  Work with housing authorities to help ensure client safety.
    • Includes on- and off-campus housing.
    • Safe at Home Application Assistant available, by appointment.
  • Medical Support:  Help survivors access a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) for free at University Hospital.
    • SANE exams can be conducted no more than 5 days after the assault and are a part of the forensic chain of evidence.
  • Safety Planning:  Work with clients to develop a customized plan to help them feel safe on and off-campus.
  • Client Consultation
    • For supporters and loved ones of individuals experiencing violence who want to learn how to support or seek guidance on getting individualized assistance.
  • Other:  Assist survivors, friends, and/or family members with other types of assistance and resource referrals as needed.

Students can schedule an appointment with the case manager through MU Connect.  Once logged in, search to find Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, select either Makenzie, and follow the prompts to schedule an appointment. 

Please visit our resource tab for a list of campus resources, Columbia community resources, and online resource tools.

How to Help a Friend

1.  Listen to the survivor. You may be the first person the survivor encounters after the incident. How this conversation goes can affect whether or not the survivor chooses to share again and/or seek resources.  While the survivor is sharing, do not interrupt, do not ask any questions about what happened or why, do not offer the resources quite yet – just listen without judgement. 
2.  Believe the survivor! This is extremely important. It is very rare that people falsely report. Believe what they said happened, how they say it happened. Just because something doesn’t make sense to you, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Trauma often makes it difficult to remember or articulate exactly what happened and/or in sequential order.  Some helpful phrases could be: “This is not your fault”, “I’m sorry this happened to you”, “I’m here for you”. 
3. Support whatever the survivor chooses to do next, even if that means they only want to tell you and try to move on. It is important to tell them you are available to help them locate resources and options if and when they are ready to do so.  Some helpful phrases to use to show support are: “How can I help you right now”, “Is there anything I can do to help you feel safer right now”, “I want to respect how, when, and if you want to talk about this.  Let me know what you are more comfortable with.”, “If you would like, I can walk with you to the RSVP Center or Counseling Center”.  And then, respect what they decide to do or not do.  Make sure that you take care of yourself if you need to process or set some boundaries.  You don’t have to have all the right words to say.  Don’t feel like you need to try to be a Therapist; just let them know you are there to support them.