• Services & Educational Programs
• Confidentiality & Philosophy
• UD Policies
• If You Are Victimized

• Helping a Friend
• For Parents
• For Male Survivors
• Sexual Assault
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Stalking & Cyberstalking
• Date Rape Drugs
• Apply to Join S.O.S.
• History of S.O.S.
• Online Resources

 

History of S.O.S.

In 1975, when the first policy and procedure for handling suspected rape cases on campus was developed, the idea for S.O.S. was born. The late Dr. Majorie McKusick, then Director of the Health Service, was a driving force behind the idea to provide services to survivors of sexual assault. Dr. Marge Kingdon of the Counseling Center (at that time) played an important role in the development of S.O.S. training as well.

A formal plan was approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs, John Worthen, on September 15, 1976, and the Support Group for Victims of Sexual Offense (S.O.S.) went into operation. The group consisted of 2 coordinators and 6 members and was under the administrative umbrella of the Division of Student Affairs.

In 1974, S.O.S. worked with the Harrington Theatre Arts Company, the DuPont Company, and the Health Service to create one of the first date rape prevention videos entitled "Among Friends". Administrative responsibility for SOS transferred to the Health Service in February, 1977. Men became members of S.O.S. in 1979 for the first time, when Paul Ferguson joined the organization. He went on to serve as Coordinator from 1986 until 1992. Male involvement allowed S.O.S. to more successfully broaden its services and programming for men.

In 1988, SOS developed a brochure focusing on Date Rape entitled "Sex and Aggression in Relationships" which was highly utilized campus-wide at that time for prevention programming. In 1989 the group also played an instrumental role in the development and instrumentation of a survey on Gender Relationships/Campus Sexual Assault and that same year served on key committees of the President's Solutions to Sexual Violence Task Force. In the early 1990s, SOS developed a poster/table tent series entitled "Date Rape Is No Myth". Furthermore, since the early 1990s, SOS has been actively involved in the planning and presentation of the University's annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week activities, and has given presentations every semester in the IFST course Introduction to Human Sexuality until that course changed format for 2001. In 1994, S.O.S. was awarded a grant from the Delaware Women's Fund to expand its services into community high schools. 1995, SOS again shifted administrative homes. No longer housed under Health Services, SOS became more directly linked with the Center for Counseling and Student Development when Wellspring was transferred under its administration, where it remains today.

Over the years S.O.S. has been in existence, more than 540 members have shared in the work of S.O.S. The group has grown and it's emphasis has broadened from just stranger rape to date and acquaintance rape to childhood sexual abuse and to the role of alcohol and other drugs used in facilitating rape.

In the Spring of 2003, S.O.S. officially joined the Sexual Assault Network of Delaware, a fairly newly established organization sponsored by Rape Crisis CONTACT Delaware and aimed at bringing together all the various types of organizations within Delaware which work with survivors of sexual assault. The goal of SAND is to raise awareness of the problem of sexual assault, as well as to provide a better coordinated response to sexual assault within the state. In Spring 2005, S.O.S. began having representation on the Delaware Victims' Rights Task Force.

On June 3, 2005, Wellspring experienced some major changes. The name of our office changed from Wellspring Health Education to Wellspring: Student Wellness Program and the offices of Wellspring and S.O.S. have moved from where they originated in the Student Health Service to 231 South College Avenue.

On November 2, 2005, S.O.S. was presented with the Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award as an example statewide of an outstanding volunteer group. The award was presented by Lieutenant Governor John Carney, as Governor Ruth Ann Minner was unable to be at the Governor's Banquet due to illness. 2005 was S.O.S.' 30th year providing service to survivors of sexual violence on UD's campus; receiving the Governor's Award was a sweet punctuation to the anniversary. We are very proud of each and every person who has ever served as an S.O.S. volunteer.

Upcoming Events!

Wellspring Student Wellness Program • 231 South College Ave. Newark, DE 19716 • 302-831-3457