TSG, Our Wave collaborate on forum for sexual abuse and assault survivors

In March 2025, Nurbanu Sahin of The Temple News reported on a new partnership between Temple Student Government and Our Wave. Together, they launched a forum on the student government's website that brings Our Wave's survivor community to Temple University. The paper described it as Our Wave's first official collaboration with a university.

Bringing Survivor Stories to Campus

The forum went live on February 6, giving Temple students a place to read survivors' stories and post their own questions or prompts. Students can also send questions to medical professionals, including sexual assault nurse examiners. Before anything appears publicly, an Our Wave team member reviews it to make sure it stays anonymous. Student Advocates Against Sexual Assault helped share the news of the launch.

Why Anonymity Helps Students Open Up

Ray Epstein, who leads both the student government and Student Advocates Against Sexual Assault, told the paper that healing looks different for each person. Epstein noted that many students don't know who to turn to after an assault, and that online anonymity helps people feel safe enough to open up. Emma Wentzel, the student group's accessibility and DEI coordinator, said Our Wave makes the message that survivors are not alone feel real. Brendan Michaelsen, Our Wave's co-founder and chief technology officer, described the prompts survivors can answer, such as what healing and hope mean to them.

Support for Anyone Who Has Been Harmed

Laura Sinko, the student group's faculty advisor and Our Wave's director of research and survivor support, told the paper that survivors need more dedicated, holistic support than counseling alone can offer. She emphasized that Our Wave welcomes anyone who feels harmed, even if they don't call their experience assault or think of themselves as a survivor. At the time, Our Wave had gathered survivor stories from 65 countries, The Temple News reported.

Read the full story in The Temple News.