Campus Security Report

Section 3: Student Right-to-Know & Campus Security Act of 1990

Much of the information required to be reported under the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act, Part 11, Crime Awareness and Campus Security, has been summarized under Section 1: College and University Security Information Act of 1989. Additional information required to be reported includes:

1. A description of policies which encourage accurate and prompt reporting of all crime to police:

The Department of Public Safety provides a crime prevention program entitled "Be Alert, Be Aware. " Through this program students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to report any criminal or suspicious activity, and are made aware of the need for everyone to be responsible for their own security and the security of others. Residence hall staff are required to report any criminal activity. Public Safety formally requests from the Student Counseling Center, Student Affairs Office, Student Life and Leadership Office and the Office of Housing and Residence Life to report the required criminal offences that may have been reported to them and not reported to the Department of Public Safety.

2. A statement of policies concerning the monitoring of criminal activity at off-campus student organizations through local police agencies:

The Johnson City Police Department furnishes the Department of Public Safety information concerning all offenses which occur off campus at fraternity and sorority houses.

3. A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes:

The Department of Public Safety provides a crime prevention program entitled "Be Alert, Be Aware" for students, staff and faculty. These programs are periodically presented to staff and faculty through the Office of Human Resources' training program. The programs are presented to students at the beginning of each semester in each residence hall on campus. The programs include handout materials dealing with various aspects of crime prevention. At orientation all incoming students are encouraged to attend this program.

The program "Be Alert, Be Aware" was devised to inform all students, staff and faculty of the most common types of crime on campus. The program encourages students, staff and faculty to keep their valuables secure, to walk in groups during late night hours or to use Public Safety's escort service. Students, staff and faculty are also encouraged to report all crimes and any criminal or suspicious activity. Date rape/acquaintance rape is addressed with open discussion encouraged to help increase student awareness and alleviate misconceptions.

The Office of Housing and Residence Life conducts programs related to crime issues during the year; flyers and posters are distributed periodically; special programs are shown on the Residence Life Channel.

Crime prevention booklets are made available at the Department of Public Safety for anyone interested. The Residence Hall Student Handbook also contains information concerning crime prevention.

4. A description of any drug or alcohol abuse education programs:

The university and local community provide a variety of educational programs and services to respond to the problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse.

The Counseling Center, a student services unit within the Division of Student Affairs, offers limited assistance through personal counseling services for students who are experiencing alcohol and drug abuse problems. Counselors utilize community resources through professional referrals then appropriate. Additionally, administrators and counselors in the Counseling Center offer educational programs about alcohol and drug abuse for university student organizations and residence hall programming. During orientation, students within the medical school receive a session on substance abuse conducted by the Tennessee Impaired Physicians Association. Substance abuse is also integrated into medical student course work. The university counseling center is also available to all students requiring counseling and referral services. The Office of Housing and Residence Life provides campus wide/hall programs regarding drug or alcohol education each year. Residents who are disciplined for alcohol/drug violations are required to attend a drug/alcohol abuse program. The Office of Student Affairs sends a mailout to all students each fall as to the university's alcohol policy.

Eligible employees may participate in the statewide Employee Assistance Program to receive consultation and referral for alcoholism or substance abuse. All university employees are eligible for referral assistance through the ETSU Employee Assistance Program, coordinated by the Office of Human Resources. The Office of Human Resources maintains a list of campus and community agencies which provide referral information, and/or counseling to students and employees.

5. A statement of policy regarding the institution's campus sexual assault programs to prevent sex offenses, and procedures to follow when a sex offense occurs.

East Tennessee State University is dedicated to maintaining an environment which is safe and supportive of its students and employees where relationships are built on honesty, integrity, and trust. Accordingly, ETSU prohibits sexual assault and rape as defined by state law. Actions which result in charges of sexual assault or rape under this policy will be subject to university disciplinary action. They also may subject a student to criminal and/or civil liability under state law.

Services

To appropriately address sexual violence, ETSU has developed OASIS (Outreach & Advocacy: Sexuality Information for Students), a program housed in the Counseling Center.  OASIS provides comprehensive services including:

  • Educational and prevention programs, awareness events and print and video resources addressing a variety of topics related to sexual violence and healthy relationships such as consent, bystander Intervention, men as allies, women’s empowerment, Take Back the Night and others;
  • Sponsorship of Students Against Violence (SAVE), a student organization committed to ending sexual violence on campus and Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) trainings, free self-defense programming;
  • Counseling and intervention services for those who have been assaulted or who have concerns regarding sexual violence;
  • Referral to off-campus agencies that provide services for persons who have been sexually assaulted;
  • Procedures for assisting persons who have been sexually assaulted in obtaining medical and counseling services;
  • Procedures for assisting persons who have been sexually assaulted in pursuing criminal or civil action against their assailants;
  • Support when persons who have been assaulted wish to pursue campus disciplinary action against the assailants.

What To Do If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted

  1. Get to a safe place, one that is well-lit and where there are other people, preferably people you know and trust.
  2. Do not bathe, douche, brush your teeth, chew gum, drink, change clothing or even comb your hair before seeking medical attention. It is only natural to want to do so, but you may be destroying physical evidence that could be needed later if you decide to pursue an investigation.
  3. Call the police as soon as possible to report the assault. If you are on campus call ETSU Public Safety at 911 or 439-4480. If you are off campus and call 911, the local police will respond to your call. By calling the police you are reporting the crime and seeking the protection of the police.  Reporting does not mean that you have to prosecute.  See the following section for more reporting options.
  4. If you wish, call a friend, family member or other trusted person to be with you. A counselor from the ETSU Counseling Center can accompany you to the hospital or police station – call 439-4841 during weekday hours, and after hours, the Counselor on Duty can be contacted through Public Safety - 439-4480.  The counselor provides confidential emotional support and can also help you consider your reporting options and what to do next.
  5. Get immediate medical attention.  You may have sustained injuries or contracted a sexually transmitted infection; therefore, the sooner you seek medical attention, the better. The Student Health Clinic provides medical care during the hours of 8:00am – 4:00 pm, Monday – Friday. During non-business hours or for the purpose of evidence collection, the Johnson City Medical Center offers specially trained nurses (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) through their emergency room to support you through the medical exam and administer a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK). Again, collecting the evidence does not mean you need to make any decision to prosecute.
  6. Seek follow-up counseling. Whether or not you report the assault or prosecute, a trained counselor can help you deal with the emotional trauma of an assault.  You may call the ETSU Counseling Center at 439-4841 and ask for an OASIS advocate.  All counseling is completely confidential.

Dealing With The Aftermath: Survivor Assistance

University personnel will assist any student who is the victim of a sex offense in notifying law enforcement, in obtaining medical assistance, and in pursuing counseling. If a student requests a change in her/his academic or on-campus living situation, then the university will accommodate the student's request if those changes are reasonably available.

University Disciplinary Procedures

There are several options available to a student who was assaulted by another student. In addition to bringing charges against the perpetrator in criminal or civil court, the survivor also may seek recourse through the university disciplinary process.

Sexual battery or rape, in addition to being a violation of state law, also is violation of ETSU Student Disciplinary Rules. If a survivor initiates campus disciplinary action, both the accuser and the accused will be informed of the following:

  1. The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during a hearing.
  2. Both the accuser and the accused will be informed of the outcome of any institutional disciplinary hearing brought alleging a sex offense.

In order to bring charges of sexual battery or rape against another student, a student must initiate the judicial process by contacting the Associate Dean of Students or his designee at 439-6129. (For more information about the university disciplinary process, please refer to the section entitled, Policies and Regulations in the student handbook, the Spectrum).

If the accused student is found guilty of the alleged sex offense, suspension or expulsion from the university may occur.

The Accuser's Rights

During the course of the disciplinary proceeding, accusers have the following rights:

  1. To meet with the appropriate judicial officer to discuss the disciplinary process.
  2. To submit a written account of the alleged incident.
  3. To be advised of the date, time, and location of the disciplinary hearing, and to request rescheduling of the hearing for a good cause.
  4. To be accompanied by an advisor of the accuser's choosing during the hearing process, although the advisor will not be permitted to speak for the accuser during the hearing.
  5. To testify as a witness during the hearing.
  6. To decline to testify, with the knowledge that such action could result in dismissal of the university's charges for lack of evidence.
  7. To submit a written impact statement to the hearing panel for consideration during the sanctioning phase of the disciplinary process.

Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4

Statistics | Main Campus | Kingsport | Elizabethton | Hate Crimes | Fires-Student Housing

ETSU Main Campus:
Call 439-4480 to report
police nonemergencies.

Call 911 for emergencies

VA Campus:
VA Police: (423) 979 3506

Emergencies: Dial 911