On campus dial 9-9-1-1 to obtain help from the Department of Public Safety.

If you are in danger and you are off campus, dial 9-1-1 to obtain help from the police.

This is not the time to be alone. If you can, be with a friend or family member or someone from residential education to accompany you to provide support and comfort. Someone from the Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Office (293-1377) will also be willing to accompany you.

Seek medical attention. It does not mean you have to press charges. Ruby Memorial Hospital is best prepared to care for a sexual assault victim. Even if you are unsure whether is an emergency, it is better to go anyway as there may be injuries of which you are unaware.

• Report the attack to the police and university official
• What to expect when you contact police
• Seek professional counseling

REMEMBER!!!

DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF

Even if you believe you were naïve, not cautious, or even foolish, it is NOT your fault. Your behavior did not cause the rape; the rapist caused the rape.

What to do if you have been sexually assaulted...

DO NOT blame yourself.

Many victims feel that it is their fault for not having said “no” more clearly or for having trusted the rapist in the first place. Some people may also blame the victim and offer little or no sympathy. They may believe that you must have somehow “led on” the rapist, or might suggest that you either used poor judgment or have a bad reputation, so it’s your own fault. In both cases, they are trying to distance themselves from what happened. If you find that you are being blamed for what happened, it is helpful to go to a counseling center, a rape crisis center, or call a hotline. You need to be reassured that you are not to blame; the rapist is. Even if your body responded sexually to the rapist, it does not mean you “enjoyed” the experience or that it is your fault. Even if you believe you were naive, not cautious, or even foolish, it is NOT your fault. Your behavior did not cause the rape; the rapist caused the rape.

If you have been sexually assaulted or are the victim of sexual violence, help is available. You have many choices regarding the type of assistance you may want. You may feel overwhelmed by the decisions facing you. When a person is sexually assaulted, oftentimes s/he loses a sense of control over her/his life. One way this sense of control can begin to be restored is to make decisions that affect your future.

There are many options available to you. The following is a list of major categories to consider with information on what will occur should you choose that option. It is designed to offer you information so that you can make the choices that are best for you. If you’d like to discuss these choices, you are always welcome to talk with someone at the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Office. We are available Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm by calling us at 293-1377.

Get Help!

This is not the time to be alone. If you can be with a friend or family member or someone from residential education to accompany you to provide support and comfort. Someone from the Sexual Assult Prevention & Education Office (293 - 1377) will also be willing to accompany you.

The major choices are:

• Medical Attention
• Reporting the attack
• Police Contact; what to expect
• Prosecution; what it involves
• Counseling?

Get medical attenion.

• Your health and safety are the first priority. Seeking medical attention does not mean that you have to press charges. Ruby Memorial Hospital is best prepared to care for a sexual assault victim. They have care givers with special training. Even if you are unsure whether it is an emergency, it is better to go anyway. You may have injuries of which you are unaware.
• If you decide to press charges, physical specimens collected soon after the rape will be valuable evidence. Evidence collection is usually completed within 72 hours of the assault at the emergency room. Completing the evidence collection does not commit you to filing charges . Charges for administering the kit will not be billed to the victims’ health insurance.
• It is important to remember not to bathe, shower or douche as this destroys evidence. Evidence is also destroyed or compromised by smoking, drinking or eating. However, the examination can still be done even if you have done all of the above.
• Evidence taken from the patient is signed over to the police and then taken to the state police laboratory for analysis. The patient will have to sign a consent form prior to the exam being done. The examination is similar to a general OB/GYN exam and begins with taking a medical history, temperature and blood pressure. The overall purpose for the exam is to make sure the patient is not injured and to gather evidence from the patient's body. Whether the victim is male or female, the exam includes specimens gathered from the part of the body that was assaulted including internal and external genital areas. Additionally, samples are usually obtained from fingernails, hair and mouth.
• All victims/survivors have a right to have the examination explained prior to giving consent. Also, s/he has the right to refuse any part of the examination. There is no fee for this examination although some hospitals/centers may charge for lab work, radiology services etc.
• Transportation is available from the Department of Public Safety. Being transported by the police does NOT obligate you to press criminal charges or file a complaint.
• Either the doctor or nurse will need to ask questions about the assault in order to make decisions about the type of examination to be done. You may need to answer questions that are sometimes very uncomfortable regarding the types of sexual acts which were done either by or to you. These questions may sound intrusive but are usually asked in a non-judgmental manner.
• You will be examined externally to check for any signs of injury and contact. All signs of injury will be documented.
• Pictures may be taken if there is noticeable trauma to the external body.
• Clothing is also taken although this does not usually include coats and shoes. Replacement clothing needs to be brought from home as most centers and hospitals don't have surplus clothing. Clothing given to the police will be used for evidence and will not be returned. If you have already changed your clothing, place the clothing you had on at the time of the assault in a paper bag, preferably one item per bag.
• The emergency room will do baseline testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some facilities will give medications/prescriptions based on preventative treatment and will prescribe post coital contraception (morning after pill) upon request. Sometimes centers will refer you to other programs for STI testing. This is also available at the health center on your campus.
• HIV testing is not available at the Emergency Department but can be done at Monongalia Health Department and should be discussed. You can contact the health center on campus to ask for more information about testing and testing sites.

If you choose not to have an examination for the collection of evidence, you can go to University Health Service and receive support, a general exam, information, and important medical testing for sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy. Additionally, postcoital contraception (the morning after pill) is available up to 72 hours after the assault.

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Report the attack to the police and university officials.

• Whether or not you plan to file charges. (Reporting a rape does NOT commit you to filing charges. You can make that decision later.) Have someone go with you. You can go the next day, but the sooner the better. Rarely do date rapists attack only one victim; they get away with it and so they continue to do it. If you turn them in, you may break that pattern and save someone else from being attacked.
• Sexual assault is both a criminal and a University offense. Pursuing University charges offers an option that some victims prefer. When considering bringing University charges, consider the following information:
  • This option may be used when the assailant and victim are students even when it occurs on non-university property.
  • Sexual assault is a university offense under the University Code of Student Conduct. This is a separate offense and conviction can result in the assailant being expelled or suspended from the university as well as other penalties.

Office of Student Life Emergency Procedures, provides Student Life and Department of Public Safety and other helpful phone numbers.

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Police Contact - What to expect

Sexual Assault is both a criminal and a University offense and there are options for pursuing these charges. You may decide to do one or the other, both, or neither. Deciding to press criminal charges and involve the police is a personal decision. Some victims/survivors know that this is a process that they definitely want to pursue, while others are unsure. If you would like to talk to someone first about what is involved in the process of pressing criminal charges, please feel free to contact someone at Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Program. If you decide to report the incident to the police, below are some points to take into consideration:

• If you are unsure of the location, contact the police where you think the crime occurred. If the assault occurred on university property, contact Department of Public Safety.
• Police, in order to investigate the crime, will question the victim/survivor, collect evidence from the crime scene, receive the evidence obtained at the hospital, take a formal statement and protect the victim/survivor's anonymity.
• The victim/ survivor is entitled to request the presence of a friend or a female officer during the interview. Generally, both male and female police are fairly sensitive to the needs of the survivor. There are not any laws that state that a third party can't be present during the interview although some departments may have it as a general policy and at times it is the best option. If you would like to have someone with you the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education office or the Rape and Domestic Violence Center will provide a counselor. The Police will usually focus on the events prior to the initial contact with the assailant, a detailed account of the behavior and words used by the victim and the assailant, circumstances of the assault and a description of the assailant. They may also ask about last consensual sex.

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Prosecution - What does it involve

You may decide to press criminal charges and pursue prosecution. There are several steps involved in this process. Some information to take into consideration about prosecution:

• Sexual assault is a crime that is prosecuted by the state. The victim is assigned an attorney from the Prosecutor's office in the county where the assault took place. This person is usually part of a special sex crimes unit.
• The law also limits the admissible evidence concerning the victim's prior sexual activity.
• There are several levels of the prosecution process including issuance of a warrant, arrest, arraignment, grand jury and the trial. Each step does not require the victim's presence in court.
• University charges are filed with the Judicial Officer within Student Affairs. The student may initiate these charges by contacting the Judicial Officer. Someone from the Department of Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Program can help with this process.
• An individual has the option of bringing university and/or criminal charges or neither.

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Seeking professional counseling/therapy

Professional counseling is often helpful for victims/survivors because it provides a safe place for you to talk about your experience at your own pace with someone who is objective and trained in these issues. Free and confidential counseling is available to Students at WVU the Carruth Center for Counseling ( 293-4431) or the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Program (293-1377) or RDVIC (292-5100). When thinking about the option of counseling, the following points can be taken into consideration:

• Each victim/survivor has his/her own recovery timetable. Some people are ready for counseling right away and others delay. Some never seek assistance.
• It is usually best to have some individual counseling prior to entering a support group.
• The counselor's gender is not always an issue but options should be made available without question.
• Counseling is usually an on-going process. It provides a place for victims to process the impact of the assault over time.

Telling family and significant others

Deciding who to tell about the assault is a personal decision. Every individual’s situation is different and the comfort level victims have with disclosing this information varies. Telling someone about the assault is a decision that should be made if you feel comfortable and ready, and feel that this person can offer you support. When deciding who to tell about the assault, consider the following points:

• Having support of friends or family during this time is important to your recovery. You may wish to carefully consider who around you makes you feel comfortable and safe, and let that person(s) know what happened.
• Sometimes victims feel that they are burdening others by talking about the assault. Remember that those people around you who care about you want to be there to provide support. You would probably do the same for them when they experience a challenging situation.
• Consideration of your family and friends’ possible reactions is helpful in making this decision. You may wish to think about past and current relationships and history of support, and how you think family members and friends may respond.
• Understand that family responses may vary widely from supportive and understanding to rejection and accusation. These responses may come from the same person over a period of time.
• If the family and significant others are not told, victim/survivors may experience feelings of isolation and guilt over keeping this a secret. You may decide to tell family and others at a later date or not at all.
• At times not telling the family may be the right decision- the victim/survivor can make this determination.
• Boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, lovers and other significant people including roommates, may have a difficult time understanding your feelings. They may also be in need of counseling, not only to assist the victim but also to obtain support for their own feelings. Counseling is available at the Department of Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance not only for the victim but also for others who may be affected.

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