Content Warning: This piece discusses the topics of Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct (SGBM), sexual violence, and abusive relationships. Wellspring’s resources for survivors, within both the Skidmore and Saratoga community, are listed at the bottom of this article.
On April 13th, Skidmore’s Student Life Committee was invited to Wellspring’s grounds for a tour and conversation with the Executive Director, Maggie Fronk, about the Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct (SGBM) resources that they offer to Skidmore students and the larger Saratoga community. Wellspring, located a 15 minute drive away from Skidmore’s campus in Malta, NY, offers free and confidential services to individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. Given the prominence of conversations on campus surrounding the College’s SGBM and Title IX policies since last semester’s student walkout, the Student Life Committee’s visit to Wellspring was an opportunity to gather more information about the external resources available to Skidmore students. Fronk shared that this recent visit was one of the best conversations that she has had with students in a long time, marking the resurgence of partnership and trust between Skidmore students and Wellspring.
Sharing accessible SGBM resources on (and off) campus is one of the working goals of Skidmore’s Student Life Committee, Maria Bideiwy ‘24 told The Skidmore News. Bideiwy ‘24 is the current Chair of the Committee and Vice President of Student Life. She explained that the Committee’s responsibilities cover “all areas of student life, making sure students have the resources that they need.” She was also clear that “the whole goal [of the visit] was to gather as much information as we could, so that we could spread that to Skidmore’s student community to fill the gap that the Title IX system has very much created.” Given the feelings of distrust in the Title IX process that were echoed by many Skidmore students during last semester’s walkout, Wellspring can be seen as an outside resource if students feel uncomfortable approaching the College’s Title IX office alone.
Bideiwy ‘24 continued to describe the Skidmore Committee’s visit to Wellspring as “really fulfilling.” She stressed how welcoming the environment was and how the services offered by Wellspring were presented as more accessible for community members, given that they are free, confidential, and comprehensive. “They don’t just provide help in the moments that their clients need it. Their approach is more of a sustainable system of not only helping people get out of abusive situations, but helping them maintain that line of healing, whether that be through financial support, job interview support, or therapy,” Bideiwy ‘24 said.
The Skidmore News also spoke with Megan Rabbitt, Director of Programming at Wellspring, about the services and approaches that Wellspring offers to their clients. Rabbitt emphasized Wellspring’s work in helping their clients think differently about the relationships in their lives. She explained, “We are here to talk about healthy relationships or currently uncomfortable relationships, as a lot of the time people don’t realize what healthy relationships or consent look like, given that these concepts are not so black and white.”
Rabbitt spoke of Wellspring’s advocacy work for survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, sharing that the organization guides their clients through how to advocate for their needs in their relationships. The organization delves into the complexities of relationship and sexual abuse in order to help their clients process their experiences. They work to empower survivors by offering emergency response services, such as emergency shelter or crisis intervention, as well as legal advocacy and preventive services.
Wellspring’s tailored therapy approach is known as issue-oriented counseling, which focuses on how survivors can cope with their lived experiences and subsequent intense emotional responses. Rabbitt described their approach as akin to education. “We understand the dynamics of domestic violence, we understand trauma response, we understand sexual assault, feelings of guilt surronding all of those things, and victim blaming – we understand all of these things very specifically, and we have a way that we can listen to people’s lived experiences and process those emotions that makes people understand it for themselves.”
Additionally, like Bideiwy ‘24, Rabbitt mentioned how Wellspring can offer support to Skidmore students outside and within the Title IX process. She highlighted how Wellspring understands the Title IX process and is there to advocate for Skidmore students through the convoluted and difficult process, if they choose that path.
Rabbitt spoke about a person’s choice in following through with the Title IX process with equal emphasis. She stated that one of the most valuable things about Wellspring is that they honor people’s choices. “We will never tell anyone what to do,” she said. “Anyone who comes to us, it’s their choice and it’s their life. If they’re even comfortable with telling us only part of the story, we’re here to listen, go through all their rights and options, and then ask what options they want to delve into further.” Rabbitt assured that Wellspring’s mission in connecting with Skidmore students is to meet the students wherever they’re at, and then act as a helpful resource from there.
Lastly, Rabbitt addressed Wellspring’s continuing goal of strengthening their community partnership with Skidmore to bring about social change moving forward. Although she recognized that societal changes takes decades – they do not happen overnight – Rabbitt was confident that in Wellspring “having these embedded roots of prevention – starting with young students and talking about red flags, what they may look like, and how society fosters this culture that leans into potentially abusive relationships – and talking about client confidentiality, and making sure [they] honor their [clients’] choices at all times, then eventually we will start seeing change.”
When asked how their recent visit to Wellspring will allow them to further productive conversations about SGBM resources on campus, Skidmore’s Student Life Committee pointed to how it will inform their future collaborations on campus. “Something that I’ve found as the Vice President of Student Life is that a lot of our initiatives have so much overlap with other groups on campus. So, instead of trying to build new systems from scratch, it’s our goal to collaborate on those resources. Ultimately, this means we can reach more people on campus,” Bideiwy ‘24 said. She underlined how many of these initiatives already exist, it’s more so about acting as a liaison and allocating enough people to work on them in order to bring about effective conversations, awareness, and change.
Bideiwy ‘24 also offered her advice on what fellow Skidmore students can do to continue increasing support surrounding SGBM resources on campus. She believes that encouraging the hard and uncomfortable conversations about healthy relationships with the people around us is of utmost importance. Bideiwy ‘24 suggested, “When we hear something that is concerning, we must have those hard, heart-to-heart conversations with the people around us and hopefully that will cause a ripple effect and spread to the rest of campus and our culture.”
It is also crucial to share information on available SGBM resources to Skidmore students, especially if you see or suspect a community member at risk. The Wellspring Advocate Hours at Skidmore, as well as their hotline and website are listed below.
Wellspring Advocate Hours at Skidmore (for the Spring 2022 semester), held at the Wellness Center:
Mondays: 12pm-1pm
Fridays: 12pm-1pm
Wellspring 24-hour hotline: 518-584-8188
http://www.wellspringcares.org
Wellspring Location: 2816 U.S. 9, Malta, NY 12020