Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
Welty Health and Counseling Center provides students who have experienced sexual violence with confidential support, counseling, medical referrals, community referrals and information concerning their rights. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, we encourage you to come to Welty Health and Counseling Center for support. All employees at the center—including administrative staff and providers—are confidential resources and are not required to share information you disclose with others. The only exception is in cases of imminent danger to the student or another individual, when mandated by law, or when permission is granted to release information.
- Resources and Support for Reporting an Incident of Sexual Misconduct
- Flow Chart of Reporting Options
- Comprehensive List of Reporting Options
Sexual Assault Victim Advocate
In addition to the health and counseling services available to survivors, students can also utilize the services of our Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA). Karen Angel supports the Whitman community as the SAVA and is a confidential resource whose office is at the Welty Health and Counseling Center. The SAVA is not required to report to the Title IX Coordinator.
The Sexual Assault Victim Advocate will:
- Provide information and support.
- Inform students about counseling and medical resources both on campus and in the community.
- Upon request, accompany students to the Dean of Students Office to obtain no-contact agreements, requests for safe housing including alternate campus housing, and academic adjustments.
- Inform students about the college’s Title IX obligations.
- Assist students who choose to report an incident of sexual misconduct to the Walla Walla Police Department.
Contact the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate:
- Call/Text SAVA Directly - 509-876-7075
- YWCA Crisis Line - 509-529-9922
- sava@ywcaww.org
Weekly SAVA office hours at the Welty Health and Counseling Center:
- Tuesday–Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sexual Violence Prevention
Whitman College developed a partnership with Recognize Violence, Change Culture (RVCC) to develop high quality, inclusive, evidence based violence prevention efforts on campus.
At the beginning of the 2025–2026 academic year, Whitman introduced CHECK-IT as the foundation of our student-facing sexual violence prevention programming. More than a program, CHECK-IT is a community that encourages students to take action in the moment to disrupt harm and look out for each other.
The Culture of Respect initiative at Whitman builds upon our longstanding commitment to creating a safe and supportive campus environment for all members of our community. By participating in this program, we’re strengthening our approach to prevention, response and education around issues of sexual violence and harassment. Whitman College is currently in the implementation phase of the program, actively working with multiple stakeholders across campus to advance the action plan developed during our first year’s assessment. These collaborative efforts are targeting specific goals identified in our comprehensive evaluation, transforming insights into meaningful improvements to our policies, programs and campus culture.