The University of Iowa is dissolving the Rape Victim Advocacy Program and transitioning its services to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, the university announced Thursday on Iowa Now. 

Storm O’Brink, volunteer coordinator for the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, stated in an email obtained by The Daily Iowan that the staff members of the program were reportedly not notified of this transition until Thursday. 

O’Brink stated no member of the program was reportedly consulted about this transition.

“It wasn’t our choice, and we were given no say over this. Leadership at the university felt that we should be dissolved because the majority of our clients are not associated with the university,” O’Brink wrote. “I tried to get more information about the reasoning in my layoff meeting, but the parties present mostly refused to answer my questions.”

All of the Rape Victim Advocacy Program’s remaining grants and assets will be given to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, O’Brink wrote.

This transition is aimed to improve coordination and streamline the services offered for victims of domestic and sexual violence, according to a release on Iowa Now. 

“RVAP and DVIP are both long standing agencies. Our shared goal is to position RVAP to thrive in the eight-county region it serves through this transition to DVIP,” Sarah Hansen, the UI’s vice president for student life, stated in the release. “The UI will continue to partner with and support RVAP/DVIP both monetarily and through collaborative approaches to end sexual and domestic violence.”

Both organizations serve the same region and have similar goals and purposes, the release states. This region includes Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Johnson, Lee, Van Buren, and Washington counties.

This transition will not impact current services provided by both organizations, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program will add support services for sexual assault victims, which are currently offered by the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, by Sept. 30, the release states.

However, 12 UI staff members will be impacted by the transition, according to the release.

“Consistent with standard practice, the university will assist affected employees with resources that include career advising and a Layoff Networking Program,” the release states.

According to the release, the Rape Victim Advocacy Program was created in 1973 by local volunteers to serve the university area as well as Johnson County as a whole. 

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In 1998, the program expanded its services to include Cedar, Iowa, and Washington counties by using federal grant money. Then, in 2013, the program’s services were expanded to the eight counties it currently serves. 

The services offered by both the Rape Victim Advocacy Program and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program are free and confidential. 

The Rape Victim Advocacy Program offers counseling, therapy, and a 24-hour crisis line as well as legal advice and education programs for sexual assault. The Domestic Violence Intervention Program offers support and advocacy services to victims of domestic violence as well as education opportunities about the topic.