The UA Faculty Senate met for the first time this semester, kicking off the new year with an update on sexual assault resources and diversity initiatives, as well as changes to general education, senate structure and employee health care.
SAFE CENTER
Public efforts to bring a nonprofit Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Center to Tuscaloosa first began through a GoFundMe page after the death of Megan Rondini in February 2016, a former student at the University who died by suicide after she was allegedly raped by T.J. Bunn Jr., the son of a local construction mogul.
Since its official opening in 2018, a SAFE Center representative said the center has continued to build collaborative relationships in the community, such as Turning Point, law enforcement, DCH Regional Medical Center and the Women and Gender Resource Center. Currently, the center has 12 SAFE-trained on-call nurses and has received accreditation from the Alabama Coalition Against Rape.
