If It Happens To You |
If you have experienced sexual assault, you can access advocacy and response services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 315.443.7273. |
Sexual Assault Support Services is here to provide information, support and assistance for you 24/7. We can be reached at 315-443-7273.
If you do not feel safe or have a serious injury, call the Department of Public Safety (315) 443-2224 or 711 from campus phones, #SU from cellular phones, or the police at 911.
Sexual Violence Response Program
- Advocacy
- Medical Care
- Legal
- Counseling
- Rights of Survivor
- Path To Recovery Pamphlet
- Resource Numbers
If you have just been sexually assaulted, find a safe environment and consider contacting someone who can be with you, such as a trusted friend, a relative, or a resident advisor. There are many decisions for you to make about what to do next. Advocates from Sexual Assault Support Services can provide you with information to assist you in making your decisions. You deserve to have support to help you through this.
Advocates are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round to talk with you by phone and to meet with you. You can meet with an advocate at the Office of Prevention Services, 111 Waverly Avenue, lower level, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. summers), and after hours at your residence hall or at an office provided by the Department of Public Safety, 005 Sims Hall. The Department of Public Safety dispatcher can contact the advocate for you. The Department of Public Safety will provide a safe, confidential place for you to wait for the Sexual Assault Support Services advocate. You will not need to give your name to the Department of Public Safety, and you will not need to file a report.
It is recommended that you:
Do not shower, bathe, douche, eat, drink, brush your teeth, wash your hands or change your clothes until you have a medical examination if there is any possibility that you might want to make a police report. Evidence may be on your body and/or clothing and can be lost through these activities. (Advocates carry extra clothing with them.) If you do change your clothes, it is recommended that you put each item of clothing in a separate paper (not plastic) bag. If the assault occurred in your residence, try not to disturb the scene.
Advocacy
There is no typical reaction to being sexually assaulted. Your safety, your health, how you feel and what you want to do are most important right now. You do not have to go through this alone.
Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault.
Sexual Assault Support Services provides 24-hour support and assistance, seven days a week, to Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students who have been sexually assaulted. Advocates will meet with you to provide support, inform you of medical and legal options, and, depending on what you decide to do, accompany you to area hospitals, the Syracuse University Health Services, the Department of Public Safety, and/or local police departments. All information shared with Sexual Assault Support Services is confidential and will not be shared without your permission.
Sexual Assault Support Services supports and responds to the needs of a broad spectrum of the student population. Lesbians, gay men, bisexual, transgender and questioning students, and heterosexual women and men are encouraged to contact us and can be assured that the services they receive will be sensitive, responsive and confidential.
Sexual Assault Support Services advocates are available to:
- Discuss all medical, counseling, legal and judicial options with survivors
- Accompany students to area police departments and/or the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety
- Accompany students to the Office of Judicial Affairs
- Facilitate referrals for follow-up health care
- Facilitate referrals for counseling
- Facilitate academic assistance through academic deans
- Facilitate referrals to the Office of Residence Life and/or the Housing Office regarding residential concerns
- Assist friends and family members of survivors
Medical Care
It is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after a sexual assault. Medical examination is an important component of the care that should be provided to a sexual assault survivor. Medical attention is important for three reasons. First, attention must be given to any physical injuries. Not all injuries are immediately apparent. Second, preventive treatment for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, as well as pregnancy prevention, must be considered as soon as possible. Third, it is important to collect physical evidence within a few days of the assault in order to increase the chance of successful prosecution, should you choose to report the assault now or in the near future.
If there is any chance at all that you might want to report the sexual assault, evidence should be collected within 96 hours of the assault. Evidence can be collected at any hospital emergency department. In Syracuse, specially trained nurses, called Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE), are available at University Hospital, Crouse Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital 24 hours a day to meet the medical and evidence collection needs of individuals who have been sexually assaulted.
If you do not choose to report the crime at the time of the medical evaluation, evidence can be collected now and kept in a secure area of the hospital for at least thirty days. After thirty days, the hospital will discard the evidence if you choose not to report the crime to the police. The hospital will not contact the police without your consent. Even if you are undecided about whether or not you wish to report the assault to the police, it is recommended to have evidence collected as soon as possible after a sexual assault. This is the best way to keep your options open for the future. Physical evidence can be very important in sexual assault cases. Sexual Assault Support Services advocates are available to accompany you to the hospital to provide support.
The Syracuse University Health Services at 111 Waverly Avenue is open during the following hours during the academic year:
Monday and Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
After hours, a health care provider is available for telephone consultation.
Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and pregnancy are available by appointment at Health Services (315/443-9005). A Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocate can meet you at Health Services to discuss your options and provide support.
Emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy is available at the Health Services pharmacy during their hours of operation and at area pharmacies without a prescription for women 18 years of age and older. For those under 18, a prescription can be called in by a Health Services provider to an area pharmacy after hours. If you want evidence collected and/or a prescription for medication to prevent HIV, you will need to be seen at an area hospital emergency department. These services are not available at the Syracuse University Health Services.
If you suspect that you might have been given a drug, testing is available through Health Services during their office hours; however, this testing cannot be used as evidence for criminal prosecution. If you are considering prosecution, a urine sample should be collected through a hospital emergency department.
Syracuse University Health Services Medical Transport Services (315) 443-4566 is available to transport students from on-campus locations to Health Services or a local hospital and back to campus. If you are traveling from off-campus to an area emergency department and need transportation, contact Sexual Assault Support Services.
Medical Expenses
If you are concerned about payment of medical expenses related to examination after a sexual assault, Sexual Assault Support Services advocates can inform you of available financial assistance.
Follow-up Examination
The Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocate can assist you in arranging follow-up medical care after the initial examination.
Legal and Judical
Syracuse University students who have been sexually assaulted have several options for reporting. It is your choice whether to pursue any of the available options. Some survivors decide to report to the local police and to work with the District Attorney's office in prosecuting the person or persons who sexually assaulted them. Others decide to work within the University Judicial System to file a formal complaint that can lead to a campus hearing. Some choose to pursue both options, others choose not to report. In addition, there is an option for making an anonymous report to the Syracuse Police Department if the sexual assault occurred in Syracuse. Sexual Assault Support Services can assist you in making an anonymous report.
What is most important is that the decision whether or not to report is made by you. Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocates can talk with you about options and support you as you make your own decision. Whatever choice you make, you will be supported. The Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocate will assist and accompany you throughout any legal and/or judicial processes you choose.
Both the Sexual Assault Support Services and the Department of Public Safety can provide you with information on the legal processes.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS), located in Sims Hall, is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach the department by calling (315) 443-2224 or, in an emergency, 711; from a cellular phone, you can call #SU. If you contact DPS and Sexual Assault Support Services has not already been contacted, DPS will call us so an advocate can meet with you and provide you with an opportunity to discuss your options confidentially.
If you report an assault that occurred in Syracuse to DPS, DPS is legally obligated to notify the Syracuse Police Department Abused Persons Unit (APU) and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office Special Victim’s Unit that a sexual assault has been reported in their jurisdiction. You are under no obligation to file a report with the police. In some cases, a Syracuse Police Department officer might ask to speak with you about the crime.
If you choose to file a report with the police, the local law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the area where the assault occurred will provide an officer/investigator to explain its criminal investigation procedures and/or take your report. Both the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office have specially trained investigators who provide invaluable assistance to victims of sexual assault. Both the Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocate and DPS can assist you through the investigative process, including arranging referral and transportation to the appropriate agency.
If the offender is a Syracuse University student, you can file a complaint within the University Judicial System for disciplinary action against the offender. This can be done in conjunction with criminal prosecution or without it. The Office of Judicial Affairs is located at 310 Steele Hall, 315-443-3728. The Sexual Assault Support Services staff advocate can assist you through this procress.
Counseling
In the days, months and years after a sexual assault, you may experience a wide variety of feelings. Some survivors feel okay for a while and then have difficult feelings later on. Healing takes time and each person reacts in her/his own unique way. There is help available to assist you in coping with the trauma of a sexual assault.
Sexual Assault Support Services works closely with Syracuse University counseling resources to ensure that students who have been sexually assaulted have access to counseling services. If preferred, a referral can be made for off-campus counseling services. Individual and group counseling are available to female and male survivors of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
Counseling services are available on-campus at the Syracuse University Counseling Center (315) 443-4715 and the Goldberg Couple and Family Therapy Center (315) 443-3023. Counseling services are available off-campus at Vera House, Inc., (315) 422-7273.
Rights of Survivors
The Office of Prevention Services and the OPS Sexual Violence Response Program respect the rights of survivors of rape and sexual assault. We advocate for survivors through educating the campus community, local law enforcement agencies, and members of the judicial system about the following rights of survivors.
Survivors of sexual violence have the right:
• To have all incident and medical records kept confidential.
• To be treated without prejudice regarding race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, marital status, lifestyle, sex, age, occupation, or religious beliefs.
• To receive private and confidential treatment, and, with informed consent, to be examined for personal injuries, sexually transmissible disease, and pregnancy.
• To be treated with dignity and respect.
• To be made aware of all options available.
• To receive support and advocacy.
• To recover at their own pace.
• To report or to not report to the police.
• To receive the same credibility as a person reporting any other crime.
• To have the option, at any time, to withdraw from any legal proceeding.
• To determine their own needs and how to meet them.
• To answer only those questions relevant to the crime.
• To be free from harassment.
