New Horizons Crisis Center, an organization dedicated to making rural Minnesota safer for men, women, and children, has a new campus advocate. Bailey Dagen, a former SMSU student, will be taking over for Holly Johnson, the former campus advocate, and the new Lyon County program director for the crisis center.

The various programs that they offer, all at no cost to those who wish to take advantage of them, can be found on their web page.

The sexual assault program assists those who have been a victim of a sexual assault, whether they wish to go to the hospital, report the assault to authorities, or need someone to talk to. An advocate will help them through every step.

It is not only sexual assault victims that they help. The General Crime program supports those who have been victims of a crime other than sexual assault. It assists people who have been physically assaulted, victims of domestic abuse, and victims of stalking, harassment, identity theft, and hate crimes.

The Abused Children program aids children who have been neglected sexually, physically or emotionally, but is not limited to children. Adults who have suffered abuse as children may also receive support.

New Horizons offers programs for families as well. Crisis Nursery offers free 24 hour care for children (six weeks to twelve years) of parents who may be unable to find care. They will also find supervision for children during times of crisis, which include, but are not limited to: sudden illness, financial problems, family violence or personal problems. For those who have been court ordered to have supervised visitation with their children, Parenting Time offers a safe, supervised location for people to spend time with their children.

In an interview with B.C. Franson, who is the board president for new Horizons Crisis Center, she stated that as campus advocate, Dagen will be there for any student who needs the services that New Horizons provides and wants to talk to someone in person. Dagen’s office is located in SS 227 and her scheduled hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition to being the campus advocate, Dagen will plan events and bring speakers to draw awareness to the issue of sexual assault. During the month of April, which is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, she will reach out to college students to raise awareness about this issue. In a telephone interview, Dagen stated that prior to her job at New Horizons Crisis Center, she served an internship with the Lyon County sherriff’s office where she rode along on patrol, shadowed attorneys and judges, and spent time with correctional officers. She is currently serving an internship at the Department of Corrections Probation Office in Marshall.