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Campus Security Report

Section 3: Student Right-to-Know and 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.

In an effort to prevent as well as to deal with the aftermath of sexual violence, ETSU has developed a program called Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence (CAASV). This program, which is housed in the Counseling Center, serves several functions on campus. The first and primary function of CAASV is to serve as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence. As an advocate, a CAASV staff member, with the student's permission, can accompany the assaulted student to the hospital, police station, or courtroom, in addition to providing individual counseling, victim's compensation information, and anonymous reporting opportunities. All services are free and confidential.

Another function of CAASV is to provide prevention and educational information to the campus community about issues involving sexual assault, dating violence, personal safety, and communication skills. Presentations are offered to various student groups, including but not limited to residence halls, classrooms, Greek organizations, and athletic teams. The focus of these presentations is to raise awareness about sexual violence within the community as well as to challenge existing cultural expectations of the sexes.

What To Do If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted

Get to a safe place immediately.
After experiencing a traumatizing event such as rape, it is important to find a place where you feel comfortable and safe from harm. This location could be a friend's room, the police station, or the local hospital.

Call the police as soon as possible.
If you are on campus and call 911, Public Safety will respond to your call. 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 that was committed against you as well as seeking the protection of the police.

Call someone who can be with you.
If you do not want to call a friend or a family member to accompany you to the hospital or police station, an advocate from Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence (439-4841) or an advocate from the Sexual Assault Response Center (928-4710) can respond. (If after 4:30 p.m. or on the weekend, an advocate from CAASV may be contacted through the Public Safety Office (439-4480).

Preserve all physical evidence.
If possible do not bathe, douche, eat, drink, smoke, urinate, brush your teeth, or change your clothes. Do not disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred. You may destroy evidence. If you have changed your clothes, take the clothes you were wearing at the time of the rape to the hospital in a paper bag. (Plastic may destroy evidence.)

Seek medical attention.
You may have sustained injuries from the attack or contracted a sexually transmitted disease; therefore, the sooner you seek medical attention the better. The Student Health Clinic can provide medical care during the hours of 8: 00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. During non-business hours or for the purpose of evidence collection, the local hospital emergency room is preferred. Emergency room personnel can treat you not only for injuries and sexually transmitted diseases, but also can administer a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK), which gathers the physical evidence in the event that you decide to pursue an investigation.

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 Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence at 439-4841 and ask to speak to an advocate. Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence's services are strictly 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:

• (a) The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during a hearing.


• (b) Both the accuser and the accused will be informed of the outcome of any institutional disciplinary hearing brought alleging a sex offense.

The Accuser's Rights During the course of the disciplinary proceeding, accusers have the following rights:

• To meet with the appropriate judicial officer to discuss the disciplinary process
• To submit a written account of the alleged incident
• To be advised of the date, time, and location of the disciplinary hearing, and to request rescheduling of the hearing for a good cause
• 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
• To testify as a witness during the hearing
• To decline to testify, with the knowledge that such action could result in dismissal of the university's charges for lack of evidence
• To submit a written impact statement to the hearing panel for consideration during the sanctioning phase of the disciplinary process

Residence Hall Staff Support
The residence hall staff sponsors hall/campus wide programs during the year regarding these issues. Also, flyers and posters are distributed throughout the year and programs are presented over the Residence Life Channel. Residence hall staff are required to report any incidents of this nature.