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Guide to the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) records

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Collection Overview
Date Span: 1971-2010
Creator: Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP)
Extent: 4.50 linear feet.
Collection Number: IWA0857
Repository: Iowa Women's Archives
Summary: Sexual abuse response and advocacy center established in in Iowa City in 1973 to serve located the University of Iowa community and surrounding counties.

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs in box 12. 41 audio cassettes (AC1443-1485), ten video cassettes (V488-498), and two 16mm film reels, all shelved in the audio-visual collection; six unprocessed helical scan tapes.

Access: The papers are open for research.

Use: Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The papers (donor no. 1191) were donated by Karla Miller in 2009 and subsequent years.

Preferred Citation: Rape Victim Advocacy Program records, Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Repository: Iowa Women's Archives
Address: 100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 319-335-5068
Curator: Kären Mason
Email: lib-women@uiowa.edu
Website: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

The Rape Victim Advocacy Program was established in 1973 to provide support, information, and advocacy to survivors of sexual abuse irrespective of gender and those close to them, and to promote a society free from sexual violence through education and other strategies to promote. Services were free and confidential, among them counseling, support groups, and a 24-hour crisis support line. The organization changed its name from the Rape Victim Advocacy Program to RVAP to reflect its commitment to survivors of all types of sexual abuse, not simply rape. In addition to its professional staff, RVAP relies on volunteers to answer its crisis line and provide other agency support.

The Rape Victim Advocacy Program records are organized into ten series: General, Records, News Article Collection, Lieutenant Governor's Task Force on Stranger and Non-Stranger Sexual Assault, Administrative, Dr. Frank Osanka Case File, Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Miscellaneous, Audio-Visual, and Artifacts.

The General series (1981-2010) includes the Rape Victim Advocacy Program's articles of incorporation, communication with victim advocates, and material related to director Karla Miller.

The Records (1971-2012) series contains disbound records from multiple volumes, and the News Article Collection sub-series, articles regarding sexual and gender violence, which are organized by year.

The Lieutenant Governor's Task Force on Stranger and Non-Stranger Sexual Assault (1996-1998) series is primarily comprised of transcriptions from panel discussion and hearings on community response to sexual assault.

The Administrative (1983-1992) series includes training manuals and a yearly organizational report from 1990-1991.

The Dr. Frank Osanka Case File (1980-1986) series documents media coverage and civil legal action against Dr. Osanka, a former university professor and lecturer on sexual abuse. Critics questioned the value of his workshops, and allegations of unprofessional behavior and sexual harassment were levelled against him. RVAP director Karla Miller was one of a number of professionals who spoke out against Osanka and his methods.

The Coalition Again Sexual Assault (CASA) series (1985-2000) includes materials from the national-level organization and the intercollegiate-level University of Iowa group, among them draft versions of university sexual-assault policies.

The Miscellaneous (1989-2004) series primarily contains notes and transcripts of speeches as well as a number of photographs.

The Audiovisual (1974-1996) series contains recordings in multiple formats regarding gender and sexual violence, including documentaries, news reports, and professional development workshops.

The Artifacts (1976-2004) contains a variety of items, including lithographic plates from promotional material, buttons supporting a number of issues, and slides from a lecture on the effects of pornography.

Browse by Series:
Series 1: GENERAL
Series 2: RECORDS
Series 3: NEWS ARTICLE COLLECTION
Series 4: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S TASKFORCE ON STRANGER AND NON-STRANGER SEXUAL ASSAULT
Series 5: ADMINISTRATIVE
Series 6: DR. FRANK OSANKA CASE FILE
Series 7: COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT
Series 8: MISCELLANEOUS
Series 9: AUDIO-VISUAL
Series 10: ARTIFACTS

  • Series 1: GENERAL
  • Box 1:
  • General - 1984-2008
  • Articles of Incorporation - 1973
  • Sexual Abuse Legislation - 1997
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) - 2003
  • Publications - 1983-2006
  • Workshops, undated
  • Correspondence - 1989-2009
  • Advocate Newsletters (2 folders) - 1984-1993
  • Memos to Advocates - 1981-1985
  • Karla Miller: Awards and Scholarships - 1982-2010
  • Karla Miller: Resignation as director - 1990-1991
  • Karla Miller: Trauma Recovery Groups - 1997
  • Series 2: RECORDS
  • Box 1:
  • Volume I - 1981-1993
  • Box 2:
  • Volume I (2 folders) - 1982-1999
  • Volume II (2 folders) - 1982-1999
  • Volume II Ephemera - 1986-2008
  • Volume III (2 folders) - 1981-1998
  • Volume III Ephemera - 1972-1989
  • General - 1971-1998
  • Box 3:
  • Binder 1 (3 folders) - 1982-1991
  • Binder 2 (2 folders) - 1984-1990
  • Binder 3 (folder 1) - 1982-1991
  • Box 4:
  • Binder 3 (folder 2) - 1982-1991
  • Binder 4 (2 folders) - 1982-1991
  • Binder 5 - 1993-1998
  • Series 3: NEWS ARTICLE COLLECTION
  • Box 4:
  • Media Coverage Guidelines and Resources (2 folders) - 1975-1988
  • Binder 6- index with topics, undated
  • Binder 6 (folder 1) - 1990-1996
  • Box 5:
  • Binder 6 (4 folders) - 1996-1998
  • 1999 File 1: January- March - 1999
  • 1999 File 2: April-December - 1999
  • 2000 File 1: January-June - 2000
  • 2000 File 2 (July-August) - 2000
  • Box 6:
  • 2000 File 3 (September-October) - 2000
  • 2000 File 4 (November-December) - 2000
  • 2001 File 1 (January) - 2001
  • 2001 File 2 (February) - 2001
  • 2001 Files 3 (March-April) - 2001
  • 2001 Files 4 (May-August) - 2001
  • 2001 Files 5 (August-October) - 2001
  • Newspaper Clippings (December-February) - 2001-2002
  • Newspaper Clippings (March-April) - 2002
  • Newspaper Clippings (May-August) - 2002
  • Box 7:
  • Index with topics (Sept. 2002-Jan. 2003), undated
  • Newspaper Clippings (September-November) - 2002
  • Newspaper Clippings (December- January) - 2002-2003
  • Newspaper clippings (February) - 2003
  • Newspaper clippings (March) - 2003
  • Newspaper clippings (April-May) - 2003
  • Box 8:
  • Newspaper clippings (June-July) - 2003
  • Newspaper clippings (August-September) - 2003
  • Newspaper clippings (October) - 2003
  • Newspaper clippings (November-December) - 2003
  • Miscellaneous - 1982-2010
  • Miscellaneous - 1982-2012
  • Miscellaneous - 1981-2008
  • Originals - 2000
  • Box 9:
  • Originals - 2001
  • Originals - 2002-2003
  • Series 4: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S TASKFORCE ON STRANGER AND NON-STRANGER SEXUAL ASSAULT
  • Box 9:
  • Session 1: panel discussion, undated
  • Hearings: September 4, Session 1: Victims' and Victim Services' testimony - 1997
  • Hearings: September 4, Session 2: RVAP director Christie Munson and two survivors - 1997
  • Hearings: September 4, Session 3: Sue Prochaska, Tri-State Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse director - 1997
  • Hearings: September 4, Session 4: Joyce DeHan, Domestic Sexual Assault Outreach Center, and two survivors - 1997
  • Hearings: September 4, Session 5: Sexual Assault Advocates - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 1: Richelle Estrada and Barbara Meir - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 2: Karen Peterson, Jennifer and Jolene (survivors) - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 3: Urszula Choromanska and husband - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 4: Youth Emergency Shelter Services staff - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 5: Sonia Parras-Konrad, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence - 1997
  • Hearings: September 5, Session 6: Brenda Kroeger, Bridge House Programs - 1997
  • Medical Insurance Panel - 1997
  • Box 10:
  • Phone interview (Education, medical and mental health care providers) - 1997
  • Binder (2 folders) - 1996-1997
  • Final Report: "Stranger and Non-Stranger Sexual Assault: Response by Communities" - 1998
  • Series 5: ADMINISTRATIVE
  • Box 10:
  • Bound training manual, undated
  • Training manual binder (2 folders) - 1983
  • Fiscal Year Report - 1990-1991
  • Box 11:
  • Karla Miller: lecture notes and outlines (2 folders) - 1985-1992
  • Series 6: DR. FRANK OSANKA CASE FILE
  • Box 11:
  • Background - 1981-1986
  • Charges - 1983-1985
  • Promo material - 1981-1986
  • Testimony and articles - 1980-1985
  • Box 16:
  • Altrusa Club talk
    AC 1484
  • Series 7: COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT
  • Box 11:
  • NCASA Conference Programs - 1985-1988
  • NCASA News (2 folders) - 1986-1990
  • University of Iowa: General - 1999-2000
  • University of Iowa: University Sexual Assault Policy drafts - 2000
  • Box 12:
  • University of Iowa: Intercollegiate CASA/ College Consortium Project material - 1999
  • University of Iowa: Policies and regulations for students, notice to staff - 1999
  • Series 8: MISCELLANEOUS
  • Box 12:
  • General - 1992-2004
  • Speeches by Karla Miller - 1989-1993
  • Photographs - 1998
  • Series 9: AUDIO-VISUAL
  • Sub-Series: Audiocassettes
  • Box 12:
  • Sexual Abuse: Personal, Barrie Konicov [AC1453] - 1982-1988
  • Sub-Series: Helical Scan Video Tape
  • Sub-Series: 16mm Film
  • Series 10: ARTIFACTS
  • Box 13: Event badges, undated
  • Buttons: Women's issues, undated
  • Buttons: Against sexual/gender violence, undated
  • Buttons: Reproductive rights, undated
  • Buttons: LGBTQ issues, undated
  • Buttons: Political campaigns - 1984-2004
  • Buttons: Miscellaneous, undated
  • Box 12:
  • Slides: Impact of Pornography, undated
  • Box 14: Lithographic Plates: Rape Prevention and Awareness Week; Rape line - 1976
    Tentative location

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.


Personal Names:
Miller, Karla
Osanka, Frank

Corporate Names:
Rape Victim Advocacy Program (Iowa City, Iowa)
University of Iowa

Dates:
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-2009

Topics:
Rape victims
Sexual abuse
Social advocacy
Social service
Law
Legislation

Occupations:
Volunteers in social service
Social workers

Geographic Names:
United States -- Iowa -- Iowa City

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Administrative records
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Photographs
Motion pictures
Cultural artifacts
Speeches
Slides (photographs)

Browse:
Women, Politics and the Law