SMSS Staff Present at Gulf Coast Campus Safety Summit

DSA News
September 18, 2024

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Toria Jones, sexual misconduct support services manager, and Laura Zavala, director of the Women and Gender Resource Center, presented at the Gulf Coast Campus Safety Summit. The Summit is a regional conference for college and university administrators, faculty, staff, and students from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida interested in improving their campus efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. This year’s Summit was hosted at the West Houston Institute at Houston Community College.

Toria and Laura presented a 3-hour, 2-part presentation titled “Creating Change: Empathy, Accountability, and Restorative Justice in Addressing Sexual Violence.” Through an interactive discussion, participants learned how they can effectively address and respond to campus-based sexual and relationship trauma. At the University of Houston Women and Gender Resource Center, Toria and Laura are part of the confidential Sexual Misconduct Support Services team where they provide support to students, faculty, and staff who have been impacted by sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and domestic violence. Together, Toria and Laura have over 24 years of experience providing trauma-informed care to survivors and individuals accused of causing harm. They represent two-thirds of the confidential staff at WGRC specifically designated to provide trauma-informed care to individuals.

About presenting at the Summit, Laura stated, “Presenting alongside one of my most trusted and caring colleagues was a joy. It was an honor to bring our collective passion and expertise to the audience at the Summit, and to share about the incredible work we are doing at the University of Houston.” Toria shared the same sentiments, “I really enjoyed presenting with my amazing colleague on a topic that can seem challenging for those working in advocacy. Our shared approach and aligned perspectives allowed us to dive deep into the complexities of this topic, with an emphasis on care. Our collaboration made an amazing impact on our audience!”

This presentation is the second regional conference to feature the work of the Women and Gender Resource Center.

Written by Laura Zavala-Membreno, Director of the Women and Gender Resource Center – Student Affairs