MiddSafe Advocates

Yes. We will give you an opportunity to give us your contact information, but you do not have to. You are welcome to give us your name, use an alias, or not give us any name at all. Sometimes providing a name or contact information can be really helpful (e.g. in order to facilitate getting someone some follow up information that they’ve requested or finding a time to meet in person). The only instances in which the limits of confidentiality require us to ask for your information include if there is a clear and substantial risk of physical danger to self, others, or the community, or if there is a requirement by law.

MiddSafe services are available for anyone who feels they need assistance, support, and advocacy, whether or not the experience qualifies as a “sexual assault” or “personal violation” as defined by themselves, the College, or the state.

You can call the hotline and arrange to meet up with an advocate in a safe and confidential space. On-call advocates always work in pairs to maximize safety and support for the community. You should also feel free to approach any advocate in person, whether or not they are staffing the hotline at the time.

The realization that you may have participated in sexual violence can bring up a wide range of thoughts and emotions. The best resource for addressing the needs of someone who has such worries is Counseling Services. A trained counselor can help you to sort through your experience and provide support and information. You may also find it helpful to review campus and local policies that offer official definitions of sexual assault.

Anyone who is in any way affected by sexual assault, stalking, domestic violence, and dating violence is welcome and encouraged to contact the hotline if you feel the need.

The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the academic year (September-May) when classes are in session, excluding College breaks and holidays (such as Thanksgiving or October Break). An advocate will have the hotline phone with them at all times. We appreciate your patience if an advocate must take a few moments to get to a quiet, private environment to begin your conversation. In the rare case that your call is not answered, please call back! If you call the hotline during breaks, there will be a message that will direct you to the WomenSafe hotline and other resources.

MiddSafe volunteers take shifts staffing the hotline, ensuring that someone is always available to talk. If you would like to speak to one person in particular, we encourage you to call the hotline anyway. The advocate on call would be happy to talk about options for support.

MiddSafe will always prioritize safety, and so if information discussed within the program is deemed indicative of immediate danger and therefore beyond our limits of confidentiality, the advocate is compelled to notify the appropriate professional. If you are seeking a confidential and anonymous resource around self-harm or suicide, some excellent resources include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, The Trevor Project, the National Hopeline, and many more.

Since we cannot confirm or deny any contact with a specific person, or in broad terms, no one outside of the program will be informed of your call or the details of your communication with us.

You have a variety of options to move forward if you recognize the name or voice of an advocate on the hotline. If knowing the advocate is something you find helpful or positive, you can certainly speak with them on the hotline or in person, and confidentiality will still apply. If you do not want to talk to the person you have recognized, you can request to speak with the advocate who is providing back-up support for that shift. On-call advocates always work with a staff advocate to maximize safety and support for the community. In this situation, we appreciate your patience as the advocates transfer the phone. Staff advocates also are available to provide confidential support to our community. Additionally, our advocates can direct you to other campus or community resources.

Choosing a place or person for support is an extremely personal choice. MiddSafe can provide information about all of these options (and more). Support is not one size fits all, and this list does not represent a ranking or hierarchy.

MiddSafe volunteers are Middlebury College students who have been trained as crisis workers under Vermont state law. We are here to listen, support, and provide the campus community with information on both campus and community resources, college policy, state law.

WomenSafe is a community-based organization in Addison County staffed by professionals and volunteers. They have a broad range of services and programs, including: 24 hour hotline, advocacy services, transitional housing assistance, support groups, supervised visitation and monitored exchanges, and childcare. They offer LanguageLine interpretation services for hotline callers with limited English proficiency in more than 170 languages. Their services are free and confidential, regardless of citizenship status. As a community organization WomenSafe is not bound to some of the laws and policies that govern a college campus.

Staff at the Center for Health and Wellness and the College Chaplains are employees of Middlebury College who, by the nature of their professional licensure(s) and/or position on campus, hold confidentiality. These professionals are trained to support and respond to students who may be affected by any kind of trauma or troubling experience. Similar to MiddSafe volunteers, they are not campus security authorities, which means they do not have reporting responsibility under the Clery Act. They do, however, have a responsibility to share information with the College when there is a perceived threat to the health and safety of an individual, the College, or property.