A Resource at WSU:

In April of 2025, Winona State University announced they were terminating their contract with the Advocacy Center of Winona. These are the testimonials of those who care deeply and advocate for the continuation of OASIS.

"Working with the OASIS center my senior year opened my eyes up to how necessary this service is for our community. We helped many students who had just experienced a trauma on or around our campus. Those students were offered resources, an inclusive safe environment and a supportive advocate to talk with them. Often times students don’t feel comfortable going to law enforcement without the support of peer advocates or just don’t want to proceed legally. Thats where OASIS helps many of our students. Without that support I believe many of our students would have a tough time continuing their education while dealing with this trauma alone. By providing the center the campus opens up avenues to help students succeed"

Testimonials for OASIS:

"I was sexually abused as a child and I had no one. The OASIS Center does incredible work to provide students supportive services that I never had. I wish I had something like this available to me at the time to help me process. I’ve seen the amazing work the OASIS Center does for students. By revoking the budget for this program, WSU is saying they don’t care about students’ safety on campus all for the sake of budget cuts. That is immoral and wrong. SAVE THE OASIS CENTER!"

"In my first year of university, I was raped in my dorm room by someone I trusted. It took me months to even understand what happened to me but I confided in the people at the oasis. They are the only reason I am here today. Taking this resource away will only do harm. With my trust broken they were there for me and the oasis should stay to help others heal."

"This is vital not just for this community but all other communities who don't yet have this club"

"As a community member, and have heard many different stories from peers. I find it sad that WSU had come to this decision. I highly suggest they rethink this, thinking about who this may affect, along with what this decision may change views upon, whether that be the school itself, or the people who run the program"

"As an almost 40-year old woman who was sexually assaulted while attending college in the early 2000s, I could have only dreamed of having such a resource as OASIS and the Winona Advocacy Center. Please reinstate this contract; sexual violence is not going away and victims need a safe communal space. WSU not only has the right but the RESPONSIBILITY to keep this resource for its students."

"Respect, listen to, center & support survivors! As a former faculty member & longtime community member I call on WSU to reinstate the ACW contract & keep the OASIS Center open as clearly stated above."

"To those who are signing this and advocating for this contract to be reinstated, thank you! It’s good to know that there are people that will stand up for what is right for everyone!"

"As a now alumni, I want future students to access the same resources I had. I want the ACW to continue to have a contract and serve those on campus. The ACW has had a huge impact on my life and others, to get rid of this contract is to tell students this administration does not care about them- their safety and wellbeing. I hope WSU rethinks this decision and does right by students."

"As an alumni of Winona State University (student from 2016-2020), I am appalled by the actions of the University. I had to work with the Title IX office as a student, and while I did have prompt discussion, I did not have the experience of having an individual who was able to work with me and be trauma-informed. I was just interrogated. Seeing this program pulled from the university is frankly unacceptable, considering the small amount of money dedicated to it. I support you all fully in your endeavors, and I hope your petition works out. Keep fighting!"

"I’ve had my fair share of advocacy exposure during my time in Winona. Here are the facts:

• When I came to campus I didn’t know there were advocacy services available on campus or in Winona

• When I was living on campus one of my dearest friends was sexually assaulted

• When I was living on campus I was being blackmailed about sexually explicit pictures

• my friend navigated the entire title ix process without an advocate

• I didn’t know that I could access help for my situation. I knew law enforcement couldn’t do much with what information I had about the person who was blackmailing me.

• I joined the student advocacy group on campus focusing on bystander intervention and consent after learning of it

• The student advocacy group was NOT taken seriously, and we had to fight for the right to a confidential space

• WSU created the Oasis as a replacement for the student advocacy group!!!!!

• After graduating in Dec 2020 I worked at the ACW and was present when the Oasis Program started

• Having a 100% confidential space to ask for resources increased the amount of students seeking services by at least double.

  
  To make this announcement during Sexual Assault Awareness Month it’s disgusting. And the lack of validation and accountability that the university has shown to respond to sexual assault allegations is exactly WHY WSU needs those partnership. DO BETTER."

"I went to Winona State from Fall 2015-Spring 2019. I was raped while in the Winona community (Summer 2018). I didn’t know where to turn for support or resources. At the time, the counseling services were overbooked. Eventually, I left the community of Winona State. I WISH there had been confidential advocates to help me process this. If you share this testimony, please keep my name private.As you pursue this advocacy, try to look for a connection between sexual assault and retention rates (% of students who graduate). Does sexual assault affect a student’s chances of graduating? This is stat that is extremely important to University stakeholders and college reputation. Keep doing the work. I believe in you!"

"Please keep working with the advocacy center, just knowing it will be there for me if I were to be victimized again while in college is a huge relief and I don’t want to lose that support. I have been a victim before without support and I don’t want me or anyone else to have to go through that."

"This whole thing makes me feel like this school doesn't value the safety or wellbeing of students. I wouldn't wish sexual or domestic violence upon anyone, but it is such a privilege to not only not have experienced SA or other forms of abuse but to feel comfortable taking resources away from those who need them. I cannot expect everyone to understand the what it is like to experience these forms of violence, but it is hard to concentrate on school or work when these things are impacting you. Our campus being connected with Advocacy Center allows for so many students to get the help and resources they need to be able to heal so they can do what they are meant to do at this university: attend class, learn, and get their degree. This is a bad move."

"The confidential advocates have my full and unwavering support. Administration needs to consider the consequences of this decision and put the safety of students above the budget of the university."

"Removing confidential advocacy for students experiencing sexual violence flies in the face of what Winona State should stand for. Now is not the time to bow down to authoritarianism and disregard student rights. WSU has a moral obligation to stand with survivors. Students have a right to a confidential advocate. Reinstate the contract with the Advocacy Center."

"These types of resources are so deeply important to be on campus and to be available to all students, staff/faculty, and community members. By taking away these resources so many lives are being even more detrimented and put in danger!!."

"You can't pretend to care about students and then take resources from them under their noses."

"As a former RA, the collaboration with the Advocacy Center is absolutely crucial for student wellbeing and success."

"Taking away support only makes the problem worse/bigger."

"Personally, I don’t know anyone that has needed to use the OASIS center and I myself haven’t needed it, but I know that it’s a valuable resource and option here on campus, especially for those who go through sexual-based traumatic events as a Winona State Student. If the OASIS center were to be disbanded, does the university just expect students to navigate traumatic incidents by themselves? That doesn’t read like supporting students to me, which is a lot of the message that this school spreads. Despite its flaws, I love this university and I would hate to see a resource like this disappear, especially if it’s due to the protocols that the current presidential administration keeps illegally putting in place without due process from our Congress. I know that if this goes through and the reinstatement effort fails, myself and many other students will show up to protest the dissolving of this necessary resource."

"To administration, As a survivor, I’ve seen first hand how the ACW can help support individuals in need. By taking away the ACW you’re reducing the resources that can be beneficial to student. That means 100s of students suffering on this campus. My abuser walks free because the system that is created is meant to protect them, not the survivors. I helped lead take back the night last year, the clothes line displays last year of stories of survivors. I’ve been fighting for two years for this campus to see us, but instead we feel like an old cheerio hidden under the couch. I would be more than happy to have a meeting if you’d like to talk more about this..."

"To say that WSU supports its students and want them to thrive while also taking away important resources is horrible. "

"we NEED OASIS! especially on a college campus. there are not enough spaces for us to confidently speak up about abuse."

"I have no words other than this is a very important thing for our campus. "

"stop taking away our safety!"

"Just reiterating how important this is for students."

"As someone who was recently raped and is now failing a class for the first time ever as a senior pre-med student, talking with the advocates and having them help me navigate all of my options for this class to not let what a man did to me without my consent alter my dreams of becoming a doctor. "

"As a student of WSU, I was told from day 1 that my education and safety was the university's #1 priority. Think of the countless people who would suffer if this motion is passed. Not only would the voices of survivors be left unheard by the university, it would be an outright lie to every person that has been guaranteed a safe college experience."

"OASIS is NEEDED so many people go through sexual abuse or domestic abuse and need somewhere to go. Somewhere safe, and somewhere that’s confidential."

"For Administration: Why? What is the reasoning behind this cut at a university that is predominantly attended by female students? Will this cut not further silence the population of survivors, especially male survivors as it makes the already difficult act of reaching out for help even harder? How will prospective react when they discover that WSU does not care for the trauma that themselves or their peers deal with?How are current students who’ve had these lived experiences supposed to feel when they’re being told they are not worthy of helping? These are academic consequences which could destroy a student’s academic momentum and see them struggle to finish their degree.."

"Our campus consists of mostly women, it is not logical to remove something that protects them! "

"My friends and my life were put in danger back in January and February because of domestic violence and an abusive relationship that one of my friends was in. My friend could not afford to file for a restraining order and also found the task daunting. Without the ACW I’m scared to think about what could have happened to us, especially since the police were not willing to do anything until we had the restraining order."

"To the administration, I would like to ask why this resource for students is being taken away. It is one of the safest most important resources Winona State offers yet we feel the need it no longer be available? Some things I do understand change with new administration however taking away resources surrounding sexual assault/domestic violence/etc is quite alarming."

"To administration - to throw away this resource for victims and survivors is to make the public statement that you do not care about victims and survivors in the University. We deserve a resource."

"This would be created unnecessary community harm in a time when so much is already happening."

"I was actually the first ACW advocate that was placed on campus so I understand the need for this service. Keep fighting the good fight, I’m sorry this is even a topic that has come up. I’ll be sending my emails to administration shortly. "

"The OASIS Center has been a great resource for students and staff. Taking it away is only going to deprive everyone of the resources they need and don’t know about."

"They should spend money on actual needs rather than fixing grass by memorial over the summer."

"Advocate work is something that I’m going into post graduation. Taking funding away from a project like this gives the image that our college doesn’t care about the work they’re doing. It gives the impression that our college doesn’t think the work I’d like to go into is worth funding."

"This service is completely necessary to the security and safety of students on campus."

"The responses are that nothing has happened yet- so there shouldn’t be any issues. Students have fought for this position and the resources that help marginalized people."

"We need people to help us fight for this so us people aren’t scared to speak out when things happen."

"When I was going through the title ix process and didn’t have a lawyer yet, the ONLY people that were able to provide me any comfort were the WSU advocates. If those are taken away, survivors going through the process will be fully alone, and that is SUCH a scary thought."

"As a survivor. There couldn't be a more essential part of faculty."

"I have not experienced sexual assault here at WSU but I know people who have and I have in the past. It’s extremely important to have a knowledge advocate for student to go to in times of need, especially about something this sensitive."

"To the advocates: Thank you for helping me when I was struggling after being raped. To Administration: I was raped on this campus and the OASIS center was there for me during my darkest hours. This is a resource that can not be remove from our campus otherwise you are just telling survivors that they are not worthy of an advocate."

"Taking away this resource will continually suppress sexual assault survivors voices. As a student, I have heard plenty of sexual assaults happen at WSU and am have encountered this abuse myself. It is truly traumatizing and knowing this resource is being taken away is heartbreaking. Having posters in the bathroom that survivors are “not alone” and can “report to anyone” and then takes away this resource is absolutely ridiculous and disappointing. I hope administration is aware of this and fixes this mistake."

"This is absolutely insane that taking this away is even up for discussion, trumps america i guess? This campus has dark spots and NEEDS resources like this to stay open. People need support! Especially in this time of world that we are in, it shouldn't be this way. The world is dark enough and filled with such horrors and traumas. & luckily there's things & places like this that shed light on pains. It is immensely important to keep the center and your OBLIGATION to reverse the possiblity of this happening in your place of power. Doing this is going to hurt so many people to come. the fact that this is happening during awareness month as well baffles me. Sure they're may be other options for people, but more importantly it is clear we see that other options may not be what people need or even know about. Doing this would have such a huge butterfly effect on people visible or not, you think about situations about "what ifs" like what if you didn't go somewhere one day and never met your wife or what if you didn't have this option and you never received something that was imminent in your life, this is the same exact thing, what if someone kills themselves over something happening to them and what about that what if that talking to someone could save their life? You can't prevent a mess from spilling but you can prevent the next mess. Keep the center"

"Students need and deserve an on campus confidential advocate. Advocacy services save and improve countless lives, and because of the confidential nature of the resource, the university will never truly know just how important it is. Students are sexually assaulted, stalked, and abused every semester. This time two years ago Winona State student Madeline Kingsbury was missing, and in the summer her body was recovered from the place her abuser Adam Fravel dumped her after he killed her. Advocates at the ACW help victim/survivors in dangerous situations like Kingsbury’s and do everything they can to prevent intimate partner violence and homicide. It is an outrageous disservice to end this partnership and the university ought to be ashamed of itself for not being a trauma-informed institution. As a victim myself, I expect this decision to change and I expect an apology from Winona State addressed to the hardworking advocates at ACW and to all the victim/survivors of this community."

"Sexual assault/violence is life-altering and shattering. I’ve experienced it myself and wish I had resources like OASIS at the time to help me cope. OASIS does amazing things and stop putting profits over students."

"if I was assaulted i would go to OASIS first! Give students a safe space like you said you were dedicated to doing!"

"we need resources on campus to support our students."

"This resource cannot go away, we need for survivors to feel that it is not their fault and their fears are valid"

"It’s sexual assault awareness month, don’t erase a crucial sexual assault advocacy position."