Sexual Assault

Campus Advocates Against Sexual Violence

Campus Advocates against Sexual Violence is a program designed to raise awareness of and to promote change concerning sexual violence within the campus community. CAASV addresses the prevalence of sexual violence by conducting educational presentations, sponsoring guest lectures and hosting programs such as "Take Back The Night."

In addition to changing the campus climate, CAASV also helps students who have been directly affected by sexual violence. CAASV provides a safe, confidential atmosphere in which survivors can discuss their experiences and explore their opinions about medical treatment and legal action. Our counselors can accompany a survivor through the medical treatment and collection of evidence as well as when reporting the violence to the police. Whether or not a survivor chooses to report, a CAASV Counselor can serve as an advocate and provide information.

CAASV PROGRAMS

CAASV encourages students to become involved in our programs. Every year a Take Back The Night (TBTN) Planning Committee is formed and students, as well as faculty and staff, are welcome to participate.

Another opportunity sponsored by CAASV is a self-defense course for women called RAD or Rape Aggression Defense Training. RAD is a 12-hour program that teaches women realistic defenses as well as increases their confidence. For more information about our programs, contact Kim at bushorem@mail.etsu.edu or 439-4841.

What to Do If You Have Been Raped

Rape is a violent crime. While reactions to rape may vary, there are certain actions that survivors are encouraged to take.

· 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. By calling the police, you are reporting the crime that was committed against you as well as seeking the protection of the police. (Remember if you report to the police, the decision to continue with the legal proceedings is determined by the evidence collected and the District Attorney).

· 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) can respond. (During non-business hours, an advocate from CAASV may be contacted through the Public Safety office: 439-4480.)

· Preserve All Physical Evidence
If possible do not bathe, shower, 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 important evidence.)

· Seek Medical Attention
You may have sustained injuries from the attack or contracted a sexually transmitted disease. When you go to the local emergency room, you will be treated for injuries and also may undergo a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK), which is very helpful if you decide to pursue an investigation. Although the crime will be reported, your name will not be released.

· Write Down As Much As You Can Remember About the Assailant and the Assault.
If you decide to report or press charges, you will have the details to give the police.

· Seek Follow-Up Counseling.
Whether or not you report the assault or prosecute, a trained counselor can help you process the emotional trauma of an assault.

· University Discipline
If your assailant was an ETSU student, you may proceed against the accused student under university judicial procedures. Information about this process is available in your student handbook located in the back of the student telephone directory. To initiate this process, contact the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at 439-6129.

· Civil Action
You may also pursue civil action against your assailant in a public court of law. For more information about your options in civil or criminal court, you should contact the local district attorney's office or private counsel.

Date Rape Drugs

Unfortunately alcohol and drugs are being used by perpetrators to facilitate rape and sexual assault. Because the drugs are odorless and tasteless, the intended victim is not aware that she is drinking a spiked drink.

The two most common drugs used are Rohypnol (roofies, roaches, larocha) and Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB or G). Both have similar effects. Both cause sleep and amnesia-like symptoms. Women who have been slipped these drugs complain of having a hangover like they never had before because the hangover is longer and more intense (excessive nausea or bad headache or dizziness). Women who have unknowingly consumed these drugs typically do not remember what happened to them or only remember bits and pieces.

If you suspect that someone has spiked your drink, you can go to the nearest medical facility and ask to have both blood work and an urine analysis performed. Because the drugs have a short half-life, the sooner you undergo the tests the better chance you will have of discovering the presence of a drug in your system.

If You Know Someone Who Has Been Raped... Advice for Family and Friends

It is important to understand and remember that:

· The survivor is experiencing some degree of outrage, helplessness, guilt, embarrassment, isolation, and alienation.

· The survivor may feel afraid of being alone, of strangers and of others' reactions.

· The survivor may have difficulty relating to others, trusting, expressing affection, making decisions or keeping up with classes or work.

Survivors will need your help. Listed below are ways that you can empower the survivor:

· Believe the survivor.

· Listen to him/her without interrupting.

· Support him/her. Validate the feelings the survivor is experiencing.

· Assist the survivor in getting whatever he/she wants or needs.

· Encourage the survivor to get help from a trained trauma response counselor.

· Do not tell him/her to forget.

· Be willing to confront your own past and deal with your own emotions. Do not burden the survivor with your own issues.

Relationship Violence

Somewhere in America a woman is battered, usually by her intimate partner, every 15 seconds. (UN Study On The Status of Women, Year 2000)

Are you with someone who:

Wants to keep you away from your friends and family

Gets angry over small things

Wants to control how you dress or wear your hair

Threatens to hurt you, your children or himself/herself when he/she is angry

Criticizes and puts you down, especially in front of others

Hits, shoves or kicks you or throws things at you

Forces sex

…Then you may be in an abusive relationship. It is common to feel embarrassed, ashamed or afraid. You may even question whether the abuse is real.

There are different types of violence and usually, in relationships where violence is present, there are several forms of violence occurring simultaneously. Violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, mental, verbal, and spiritual and typically follows a pattern described as “The Cycle of Violence.”

The Cycle of Violence typically begins in the Honeymoon Phase. During the Honeymoon Phase, the partner is very charming and kind. The partner says and does things that are romantic and loving. Eventually the Honeymoon Phase wanes and the couple enter the Tension Building Phase. During this phase, the partner may feel as if they are walking on eggshells. It may seem that no matter what they do nothing is right. The charming, romantic partner is gone and in his/her place is a person who is angry and hostile. When the partner resorts to violence, the Tension Building Phase ends and the Abuse Phase begins. People who have experienced this cycle say it is like watching a thunderstorm approach and waiting for the lightening to strike. After the abuse, the couple usually enters the Guilt/Remorse Phase. During this phase, the abusive partner is very contrite and promises them “things will change.” Because he/she feels guilt for what he/she has done, the partner tries to “make up” with them and they re-enter the Honeymoon Phase.

Because the Cycle of Violence is so insidious and complicated, it is difficult for women who are experiencing the cycle to sort out their feelings and make decisions. They often feel torn between feeling anger and hurt toward their partner and feeling love and pity for their partner. For these reasons as well as many others, i.e. financial dependence, child responsibilities, and shame & embarrassment, women who are in abusive relationships struggle with making a decision about the relationship. Because of these conflicting emotions and concerns, women who are in abusive relationships usually feel overwhelmed and may benefit from having someone with whom to speak. The Counseling Center has trained counselors who can provide a listening ear that does not judge nor advise.

A Final Word

Relationship violence does not discriminate. Violence does not recognize socio-economic status, ethnicity, color, creed, sexual/affectional orientation or age. It can happen to people who are in long-term relationships as well as to people who are meeting someone for the first time. If you suspect that someone is infringing on your personal boundaries, then they probably are. That person’s inability or indifference to respect your personal boundaries is NOT a reflection of you but rather is about them.