{"id":3933,"date":"2026-10-22T10:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=3933"},"modified":"2026-10-22T10:21:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:21:00","slug":"mocsa-gives-safe-outlets-and-support-to-jccc-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2026\/10\/22\/mocsa-gives-safe-outlets-and-support-to-jccc-students\/","title":{"rendered":"MOCSA Gives Safe Outlets And Support To JCCC Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOCSA Advocacy and outreach specialist \u2013 Megan Woodfield<\/span> \u2013 displays art created by <\/span>members of an all-gender survivor support group<\/span> that meets at JCCC <\/span>every\u00a0 Tuesday<\/span> from 5:30-7:00 PM in RC 170.<\/span><\/span> Photo By: Nathan Schweiger<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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To support students dealing with matters of sexual assault, the <\/span>Metropolitan Organization Countering Sexual Assault (MOCSA)<\/span><\/a> has an outreach office at JCCC with an advocate who is available every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the <\/span>Regnier Center<\/span><\/a>, Room 303, to talk.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 1975, the Kansas City-based nonprofit organization has served sexual assault survivors in six counties with education, counseling and advocacy. MOCSA has provided outreach services for students at JCCC for over seven years.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advocacy and Outreach Specialist II Megan Woodfield staffs MOCSA\u2019s outreach office every Tuesday, where she provides in-person support for any student or staff member who walks in. As an outreach specialist, Woodfield works in both crisis and ongoing advocacy services.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCrisis advocacy is going to be if someone calls our <\/span>24\/7 crisis support line<\/span><\/a>, I\u2019m one of the people who might pick up the phone. Through that line, we also do \u2018activations,\u2019 as we call them, to local area hospitals,\u201d Woodfield said. \u201cSo if someone is getting a <\/span>SANE<\/span><\/a> [Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner] exam done, it\u2019s a part of most hospital protocols that they\u2019ll call MOCSA.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Woodfield said that within an hour of getting those calls, an advocate will visit a survivor with a resource bag called a \u201cBoost Bundle,\u201d which includes a change of clothes, MOCSA resources and toiletry and hygiene supplies. SANE exams, or rape kits, typically encourage survivors to leave behind the clothes they were wearing during the assault due to the possibility of preserving DNA evidence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as they\u2019re kind of done with what has to be done, they can switch into things that are fresh \u2014 have that kind of gunk be washed off and be in a better place. So we can be present for those exams, or we can leave the bag and go if folks aren\u2019t comfortable and don\u2019t want us there,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People can also call for next steps to report a sexual assault, with advocates able to be present when victims report to law enforcement. The crisis line also serves as a space for people who may need grounding through on-call support or want questions answered.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through long-term advocacy, Woodfield also works as a <\/span>Title IX<\/span><\/a> advocate, helping clients navigate breaches of the 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe cool thing is you don’t have to report to Title IX or to police or anything like that to work with us. So I have a couple of clients who I’m helping get resources. I’m helping them feel comfortable and safe, maybe exiting an unsafe environment, so they can get to a point where they feel like they can report,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Woodfield spreads awareness about MOCSA\u2019s mission through tabling and educational events around the metro.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe help to train the police academy cadets with trauma-informed care, and we’re doing a training for the SANE nurses over at Children’s Mercy this week,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Woodfield first learned about violence prevention work as a student at Pittsburg State University, joining peer education group \u201c<\/span>Students for Violence Prevention<\/span><\/a>,\u201d which aims to educate students about domestic violence and unhealthy versus healthy relationships and similar topics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally got into it because I was a psych major. I was like, \u2018oh, that’ll look good on my resume\u2019 and then really fell in love with doing the work,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The experience propelled her interest in Title IX, with her psychology background serving as an \u201centry point.\u201d Woodfield additionally received her master’s degree in psychology, focusing on how trauma affects the brain, as well as a minor in youth and adolescent development. She first learned about MOCSA after giving a presentation for a different agency and meeting volunteers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of months later, I was looking for a job. It became open, and I was like, \u2018Well, that feels like the most aligned pathway I can imagine.’ So three years later, here I am,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A typical week for a MOCSA advocate involves a variety of jobs. At least once a week, Woodfield has at least one shift on the 24\/7 crisis support line, typically around 4.5 hours, and a client-centered meeting, which may involve going to a law enforcement interview or medical appointment with a client, or a high school meeting for safety planning. Advocates check in with each other during team meetings on Wednesdays. Two days a week, Woodfield works at home and hangs out with her dog. On Tuesdays, Woodfield works out of the JCCC outreach office.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo from 9 a.m. to usually about 4:30 p.m., I’m here not only doing my work, but this kind of acts as an in-person crisis line of sorts. So anyone can come in at any time, get connected with resources, get information, or sometimes people just stumble in here because they think it’s cute and then learn that I exist,\u201d Woodfield said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent headlines circulating about sexual violence among college students emphasize the importance of knowing that an organization like MOCSA is present at JCCC and in the area. In a series of statistics and trends relating to sexual violence against college students provided by <\/span>RAINN.org<\/span><\/a>, one of the largest sexual violence advocacy organizations in the U.S., with data from<\/span> Campus Climate surveys<\/span><\/a>, the scope of the issue is wide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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