College tells Disabled Veteran, Dean's List student: Get Treatment or Get Out

This is a story from the website www.stopmilitaryrape.org.

College tells Disabled Veteran, Dean's List student: Get Treatment or Get Out

June 23rd 2009. by Melissa O'Brien

Boston: A student veteran going into her senior year at the University of Massachusetts, Boston had received the following orders from her college: Get treatment at the VA for Military Sexual Trauma Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  or else you can't be a student here. Unless this disabled veteran receives treatment at the Veteran's Administration and gives permission to have her clinician to report to the college they will put a hold on her record  which will not only prevent her from registering for future semesters but will not allow her to continue with her current classes. The hold can only be lifted after the college determines that she is receiving treatment for Military Sexual Trauma.

A volunteer from the Military Rape Crisis Center has contacted the University of Massachusetts, Boston counseling center to discuss Military Sexual Trauma and they are not interested in our complimentary training for working with Military Sexual Trauma survivors. According to Dr. Edna Pressler a printout of the Department of Veteran's Affair website  is distributed to students with Military Sexual Trauma. For a college that present itself as a resource for veterans a printout from a website is not enough.

Since the University's counseling department is so ill equipped to handle veteran specific issues a student with a 3.85 grade point average that never had any disciplinary problems nor was ever a threat to herself or others is being stripped from her rights as a student and a disabled veteran under the Americans with Disabilities Act. While we work on her case she ask that we share this letter with you.

Marita Labedz Poll, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs/Dean of Students can be reached at: 617-287-5800


I'm all for getting help; I think therapy is the best possible tool for dealing with assault trauma, however forcing someone to go to therapy is counterproductive and threatening to penalize them is just another for of victimization. Stories like these are what keep other victims from speaking about their own trauma. There are ways of handling sexual assault issues with compassion and understanding. What do you think about this?