By Emily Wunderlich
After nearly three months without a victim advocate, the university has found someone to fill the position.
Shayna Marlowe, 31, of New Smyrna Beach, was hired by the university Nov. 19 at a salary of $48,000 a year. Her first day was Dec. 10.
The role of the victim advocate is “to provide information, community referrals, and crisis response to all USFSP students who may be victims of crime (i.e., date rape, assault, domestic violence),” according to the Wellness Center’s website.
However, after the former victim advocate, Sara Spowart, resigned on July 31, 2018, the university was left without a replacement. Spowart was hired June 4 to replace Mandy Hines, who had been the on-call victim advocate since August 2006.
The Wellness Center did not respond to a Crow’s Nest inquiry about Marlowe on Friday.
Confronting gender-based crime has become a top priority on America’s college campuses in recent years.
Like other colleges and universities, USF St. Petersburg pledges that it will work to provide an environment free from sexual discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, and dating and domestic violence.
Professors are required to describe the university’s policy on gender-based crimes in their course syllabuses, and professors and staff who learn about violations are required by law to report them.
On Oct. 15, 2018, The Crow’s Nest reported that one female student sought the help of a victim advocate because she believed she was being stalked and harassed by a former boss at an off-campus job.
She said campus police were unaware of the vacancy until Chief David Hendry attempted to contact the victim advocate.
“He still helped me get information and assured me that I could come to him with questions, but having a victim advocate would have been nice,” she said.
The Crow’s Nest does not name victims of sex-related crimes.
Marlowe’s personnel file indicates that her last job was a paralegal specialist for Children’s Legal Services for the state in Daytona Beach. She’s also worked for the Domestic Abuse Council, National Human Trafficking Hotline and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Marlowe earned a master’s degree in human services: marriage and family counseling from Liberty University in Virginia. She also has a bachelor’s in human services and psychology from Old Dominion University in Virginia and an associate in paralegal services from Daytona State College.
“My passion is helping people find what they need in order to live safely and have a good quality of life,” Marlowe wrote in her job application.
“I have a strong belief that if you put in the effort to provide quality services to those who have committed certain crimes or experienced certain traumas, without unrealistic expectations, and with extreme patience and support, that they can eventually obtain the skills necessary to become their best selves for the community and their families,” she wrote.
Students can schedule an appointment with the victim advocate by calling (727) 873-4422 or in person at SLC 2200.
Crow’s Nest News Editor Anna Bryson contributed to this report.
