The memorandum of understanding is an agreement among regional police, health care agencies

and advocacy groups to fight sexual violence and domestic violence.

Local agencies signed this accord Monday in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts atrium.
Rick Trietley, director of student affairs, introduced the signing ceremony committee.
The committee included the following: Andrew Roth, president of Bonaventure; Timothy
Whitcomb, sheriff of Cattaraugus County; Dominic Papasergi, chief of Allegany Police
Department; Jeff Rowley, chief of Olean Police Department; Tina Zerbian, CEO of Cattaraugus
Community Action, Inc.; and Donna Kahm, president and CEO of Southern Tier Health Care
System, Inc.
According to a Bonas news release, the agreement aligns the university with proposed federal
legislation the Campus Accountability & Safety Act that has yet to be approved. Sen.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is among 36 U.S. senators pushing for the legislation.
Gary Segrue, director of Bonas safety and security, said that the ceremony is the right thing to
do. Segrue said Bonaventure is one of the first schools in the area to have this accord signed.
Assemblyman Joseph Giglio, of the 148th district, said, As a father and as a parent you know
how scary these things can be.
He called the accord a blueprint for how sexual violence incidents will be treated in the future.
Roth said the signing of the document is important because it reflects the values of St.
Bonaventure.
He said that the areas of responsibility include how sexual violence incidents are reported,
handled and processed.
The university is held to certain standards[the MOU is] an extremely important document to
clarify [how crimes are reported], he said. All issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment
are issues of respectI tend to be a zero tolerance person. Once somebody says no, thats it.
He said the welfare of the students and the welfare of Bonaventure will be protected.
William Aiello, city of Olean mayor, said he was thankful that Olean was included in this project.
Olean is not immune to these things, he said. Aiello has 32 years of experience in law
enforcement. This law is to protect college students, and it will filter down to high school
students and, sadly, elementary students, Aiello said.
Whitcomb said, [The signing] is for such a very good thing.
He mentioned he would tell his mother what he had been a part of here at Bonaventure; she was
among the first women who graduated from Bonas.
Whitcomb said some laws in the past had handicapped law enforcement and presented more
challenges.

Another talking point included the MOU strengthening the commitment St. Bonaventure has to
safety, security and success of all community members. It does this through partnerships and
collaboration with community partner organizations and law enforcement agencies.
A Bonas news release said the MOU is intended to ensure that investigations of reports of sexual
violence are comprehensive, aid in disciplinary proceedings, facilitate the prosecution of
offenders, respect the legal rights of those accused of sexual assault and gender-based crimes and
provide appropriate support to survivors.
St. Bonaventure will continue to be proactive in not only meeting New York State and Federal
Law requirements, but also be a regional and national leader in the prevention of sexual violence
and other gender-based crimes, Trietley said.