What Should I Do After an Assault?

Ensure Your Physical Safety

Go to a safe place such as a Resident Assistant’s room, a friend’s room or any office open on campus. You may seek help from local law enforcement agencies or by contacting the College Campus Police Department. Public safety personnel are on duty at the College Campus Police Department 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Contact information is provided here. Try to avoid being alone, especially with your attacker and be alert to your surroundings.

Seek Medical Assistance and Treatment

Even if you do not want to report the assault to the police, Campus Police or the College, it is crucial that you obtain medical attention as soon as possible after a sexual assault to make sure you are all right. The medical exam in addition to treating injuries can determine the possibilities of pregnancy, whether or not you have been drugged, and offer treatment to prevent or treat sexually transmitted diseases. You do not need to make a formal report or press charges to receive medical care.

If you choose to have an evidence collection kit (or “rape kit”) completed, it is important to do so within 72 hours. Even if you have not decided to file charges, it is advisable to have the evidence collection kit completed so that you can preserve the options of obtaining a protective order and /or filing criminal charges at a later date. For a list of local healthcare facilities see the Resources.

In order to best preserve evidence for an evidence collection kit, it is advisable to avoid showering, bathing, going to the bathroom or brushing your teeth before the kit is completed. You should also wear to the facility the same clothing that you were wearing during the assault or take with you in a paper – not plastic bag. An evidence collection kit can still be completed even if you have showered or bathed.

Preservation of Evidence

If you choose to have an evidence collection kit (or “rape kit”) completed, it is important to do so within 72 hours. Even if you have not decided to file charges, it is advisable to have the evidence collection kit completed so that you can preserve the options of obtaining a protective order and /or filing criminal charges at a later date. For a list of local healthcare facilities see the Resources.

In order to best preserve evidence for an evidence collection kit, it is advisable to avoid showering, bathing, going to the bathroom or brushing your teeth before the kit is completed. You should also wear to the facility the same clothing that you were wearing during the assault or take with you in a paper – not plastic bag. An evidence collection kit can still be completed even if you have showered or bathed.

Obtain Emotional Support

The FSW Office of Counseling or national/local victim services can help victims sort through their feelings and begin the recovery process. The professionals are trained to provide crisis intervention on short‐term and emergency issues and can provide referral services for outside providers and law enforcement. Counseling from the College Office of Counseling is free of charge to all students. In some instances, the law may require the disclosure of certain information shared by students with counselors. However, absent a legal mandate to the contrary, counseling services are strictly confidential, are not part of students’ College records, and will not be reported to other College personnel. You may ask people if they are mandated reporters and then decide what you want to do. Exhibit B contains contact information for several local and national hotlines as well as the contact information for the FSW Office of Counseling.

Other Support

Make sure that you have a safe place to stay. If you do not wish to seek emotional support from a hotline or counseling center, think about talking to a family member, a friend or another person whom you trust. See if someone can go with you to get medical treatment.

Obtain Information/Report Misconduct

You are encouraged to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the College’s Title IX Coordinator, other designated College individuals or offices as outlined in the Sexual Misconduct Guide (even if you have filed a report directly with law enforcement). College personnel can help you access resources and can provide you with support and information, including information on the College’s procedures for investigating and addressing instances of sexual misconduct.