How we heal: Acknowledging sexual violence in our community

By Natalie Nemes and Mia Timlin

Content warning: This article contains discussion of sexual violence and abuse. Please proceed with caution.

Editor’s note: The purpose of this piece is to foster healing after the events reported in local and national news outlets deeply affected our community. Our intention in focusing on summarizing the University’s response to these horrendous events and discussing how to heal moving forward is to respectfully acknowledge what happened while refraining from recounting traumatic details.

The University’s Response

A St. Kate’s student reported to police on Sunday, Sept. 10, that their boyfriend had raped and abused them in their room in St. Mary Hall over the weekend. The StarTribune published an article detailing the charges the following Tuesday, and national news outlets such as MPR News and the New York Post picked up the story in the following days.

St. Catherine University Director of Communications Sarah Voigt issued a statement to the press on behalf of administration that was quoted by the sources mentioned above. “It is our policy at St. Catherine University not to issue any comment that would affect student confidentiality or potentially re-traumatize individuals,” the statement said. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we do not wish to jeopardize the integrity of the case as it develops.”

Amanda Perrin, director of campus life, sent an email to St. Mary Hall residents on the afternoon of Sept. 10. It read, “Earlier today, St. Paul police were on campus addressing an incident concerning a guest visiting campus. The police completed their visit this afternoon and there is no safety threat to anyone on campus.” It did not specify what the “incident” was.

The email continued, “If there was an ongoing and/or active threat, you would have been alerted via the LiveSafe app through Public Safety and had received email and text alerts.” 

On the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 12, the Department of Public Safety and Student Affairs issued another email to students, following the publication of the StarTribune article. This email echoed the same sentiment as the earlier communication. It also said that the perpetrator, Keanu A. Labatte, has been banned from campus.

The StarTribune writer, “took their information for the story from the police report that’s on public record,” the email also read. “St. Catherine University was made aware of the story’s publishing less than one hour before the story went live, and was invited to comment for the story.” However, the university did not comment per the statement issued by Voigt above.

The email further clarified, “Police are not always called, as the victim/survivor is first asked; given the circumstances of the individual being on campus, police were called.”

The end of the email included a list of resources for students seeking support in the face of these traumatic events.

The Univeristy’s Parent and Family Association also issued an email with the same information included in the Public Safety and Student Affairs email. It further emphasized, “In any situation on any given day we assess the safety and impact to our campus community. We have no reason to believe there is a safety risk for students at this time or has been for our larger campus community.”

Fostering Healing and Supporting Students

While there may no longer be an imminent safety threat on campus, the events of the weekend of September 10 and the subsequent news coverage may have caused distress for some members of the community, especially survivors of similar abusive situations.

Cheryl Behrent is the director of Sarah’s … an Oasis for Women, a home for immigrant women seeking asylum in the U.S. who have “survived violence, abuse, torture, war, discrimination, and trauma,” according to its website. In an interview with The Wheel, she emphasized the importance of community support for a person who has experienced traumatic events. The people at Sarah’s seek to answer the question, “How can we be present for you?” for women dealing with trauma, she said.

A survivor of abuse may experience triggers that remind them of past trauma, although Behrent stressed that not every person has the same response to triggers. Different survivors will also have various treatment needs, she said.

Survivors may be triggered by mentions of events similar to what they experienced.

“The community is also suffering right now from this trauma, because trauma doesn’t just happen to one person; it happens to the whole community,” Behrent said. “And it triggered people who maybe experienced something similar, and so to just owning that I think is super important — owning the effect on the community.”

Emily Huemann, SOS Sexual Violence Services program supervisor, emphasized that healing is a process that looks different for everyone. “It’s a commitment, I think, to addressing the realities of sexual violence on campus,” she said. “It’s a commitment to the campus to being responsive to students’ needs, and making an effort to find out what the students— how the students are doing.”

Huemann added that because of the high rates of sexual violence in society, “many of the students that are on campus have experienced sexual violence in one form or another. And so you’re working with people who’ve already had experiences with sexual violence, and then you’re working with the opportunity to prevent future violence, and what does that look like? And how do you have those conversations, and how do you have those policies and practices on campus that reduce and address sexual violence?”

According to Huemann — who provided information on sexual violence broadly but did not comment on any particular case — one in four women and one in six men will experience sexual violence in their lifetimes. Approximately 75-95% of all sexual violence occurs between people who know each other.

While a common misconception is that sexual violence most often occurs between strangers, that is not the case. “There’s still the stereotype of the stranger in the alley and the woman being the victim and the male being the perpetrator,” Huemann said. “And those are all stereotypes and myths that feed into a narrative that does not allow for the reality of sexual violence to be addressed.”

Regarding actionable steps St. Kate’s can take to acknowledge the situation while still respecting survivors of sexual violence and abuse, Huemann said that anything the University could do for its students would be appreciated. This could include putting together a survey to determine student needs, for example.

If you or someone you know is seeking guidance and support after experiencing sexual violence, SOS is a confidential, free-of-charge service that will help you talk through and determine your needs. The agency can direct you toward a variety of resources, such as medical help, therapy, counseling and support groups. It will also guide you through your reporting options, including reporting sexual assault with and without a formal investigation.

Call SOS’s 24/7 crisis line at 651-266-1000, or visit their webpage to learn more. SOS is also looking for volunteers to attend their training, staff the 24-hour crisis line and advocate at hospitals. Email them at asksos@co.ramsey.mn.us for additional information.

Public Safety

In cases of emergencies on campus, Victor Juran, director of the Department of Public Safety, said that the University’s response focuses first on physical well-being, and then moves on to “supporting students as they wish.”

Juran encouraged students to look at improving safety on campus as something they can play a role in. “The safety of our campus community is not solely reliant on our Department of Public Safety,” he said. “Community members are encouraged to support one another. … The University strongly encourages all community members to take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent or stop an act of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking.”

He added that he and his staff encourage community members to take action and request help, “if they encounter a situation on campus that appears unsafe [to] call 651-690-8888, text via LiveSafe, or come directly to the DPS office CdC 103, use the intercoms at main entrances to campus buildings, or one of the blue light call boxes located around campus, or alert a bystander or employee, and ask them to contact Public Safety.” 

Juran also called to attention the Title IX training that new students go through during orientation, as well as a Title IX team that is responsible for the annual review of the policy and procedure for faculty and staff, Public Safety Officer escorts, the LiveSafe App and an online form that allows students to report incidents that do not require immediate attention.

“Public Safety views itself as a service-oriented department. We serve as a support to students, similar to our partners in Student Affairs and Residence Life,” said Juran, when asked about the role Public Safety plays in fostering an environment that students can feel safe to live and learn in. “It is our goal to facilitate a safe environment for community members to work, learn, and live in. It is very difficult to get a good education if you do not feel safe in your space. We strive to provide that sense of safety.”

Juran continued that while DPS leads safety and security efforts on campus, he believes that safety is everyone’s responsiblity. 

“Part of living in a community together means supporting each other. One of these supports is to speak up and be an upstander, not a bystander. Do not be afraid to report concerns that you have.”

Juran said that “due to student privacy and confidentiality laws, and the ongoing investigation,” he could comment no further on the events of earlier this month.