Jane Doe was stalked by a classmate at the University of Regina who had also done it to a fellow student as well. The stalking experience lead her to the the university’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator Miranda Tarnes.
“I have had issues with stalking in the past and a relationship that was about to get violent if I didn’t leave when I did,” said Doe, a University of Regina student who didn’t want her name to be revealed.
Doe feared that if she didn’t speak up about her experience that things would progress to something far beyond her control. She then booked her first appointment with Tarnes which was immediately scheduled as it was considered a crisis and deserved immediate attention.
“I got scared that I was going to end up like that again and I needed the help of a professional to chat with” said Doe “To reassure me that I am not crazy for feeling this way.”
Although more resources for Doe would have been available with a regular booked appointment, Tarnes did her best to accommodate her with such short notice. Doe was given multiple resources and support groups to go to for extra guidance including one support group made by UR believed called Survivor Circle. The support group Survivor Circle meets once a week and has quiet and calm activities. Just recently they did an activity called Key to Consent in which they made key chains while talking about the importance of consent.
“I was quite surprised that she was able to see me as soon as she did” said Doe, “We reached out to her and within an hour she had me meeting with her.”
Doe explains that not only did she feel comforted when meeting with Tarnes but she also felt validated. That the emotions that she was feeling were completely justified, ensuring her that this incident with her classmate was not just something that she felt was wrong but rather something that was wrong.
“University is a place where people will like to experiment and push boundaries, whether it’s their own or others’, but with that comes some risk and danger” said Doe.
“I think it is important to have people like this on campus because it provides support immediately to students who need it.”
The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator Miranda Tarnes provides students who come to her with help and support with various matters involving sexual violence whether that be on campus or within the community. These supports include counseling, accompaniment to appointments such as court trials and medical appointments, suggestions to on and off campus help and academic accommodations and extensions. Tarnes will personally reach out to instructors and have conversations with them regarding the students academic accommodations needed.
“Sometimes that looks like having a meeting with me, the instructor and the student and just ensuring that we can meet the needs of that student,” said Tarnes.
The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response office is in Riddell Centre room 251 in the Student Success Center, the office is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Friday. Appointments can be made by calling 306-337-3149 or by emailing sexual.violence.response@uregina.ca.
