Susan Junis
- Assistant Director- Prevention Education & Communication Outreach - RVAP
Since 2011, Susan has advocated for survivors of sexual violence both at an individual and systemic level at the University of Iowa. She started consistent in person violence prevention efforts on campus with the goal of preventing sexual violence before it happens. Her energy and effort created long term changes to the co-curricular experiences of students on campus. These efforts have touched thousands of students as they matriculate. Her efforts have supported culture change at the university around prevention and response to survivors of sexual assault. Susan believes that all people, deserve the right to live free of fear of violence and has dedicated her career to this.
In addition to facilitating workshops for students, Susan has also mentored young advocates, taught courses, and served on committees to improve the lives of women at the University. She consistently collaborates across the campus to work towards systems level change. Throughout these endeavors, Susan often holds challenging stances that call for more thoughtful approaches to supporting survivors and holding perpetrators accountable.
Susan also approaches this work with a deep understanding of the intersectional nature of this work. Susan has helped plan the It’s On Us: Sexual Violence Education Summit, the white identity exploration workshops, and Womxn @ Iowa programming. Susan also organized the Trans Resource Alliance through RVAP to improve the accessibility and responsiveness of sexual assault support services for Trans Survivors. Additionally, Susan leads a series of BUILD sessions which form a certificate program called Advocating for Safer Communities. This series teaches the necessary skills to be an active bystander and trauma-informed responders. Susan’s most recent project is writing a parent handbook for parents of incoming students to help guide conversations about sexual violence. This project will enhance current orientation efforts to set consistent community standards of behavior as new students enter the university community.
Trans Resource Alliance https://uiowa.edu/ui-trans-resources/
