The University feels it is of the utmost importance for
survivors to take control of their lives and be able to
decide what is best for them. We hope a student can feel
comfortable in approaching a University community member
for help, knowing that their confidentiality will be preserved.
Therefore, the University has adopted a policy where the
survivor’s name, or other identifying information, will
not be passed to another member of the University community
without the consent of the survivor.
We encourage a survivor to report an incident to a University
professional, who will be able to provide information for
you to be able to make an informed and supported decision
about how you want to proceed. There are several places
you can go to talk to someone about what has happened and
to find out what options are available to you. The following
pages give information about where you can go and what
to expect once you get there.
If the assault has just occurred,
get yourself to a safe place. Using an on-campus
phone on either the Uptown or Downtown Campus, you can
call the University Police (UPD) at 911. Note: If you
are calling from a cell phone or off-campus phone, the
quickest way to reach UPD is to dial 442-3131. 911 will
still work from a cell or off-campus phone but the call
will first be routed through a regional dispatch. On
the East Campus, call 911 or 479-1212 for the East Greenbush
Police. If you are off campus and need immediate assistance,
call 911 to be connected with the appropriate local police
agency. (Also, see back panel for local police agency
phone numbers.)
Save evidence. Even if you
are unsure now about whether you will want to prosecute
the assailant, saving evidence gives you the option to
decide later. Try not to shower, bathe, or wash the clothes
you were wearing, until after you allow evidence to be
collected by emergency room staff and/or police. Evidence
should be collected as soon as possible, especially within
72 hours of the assault. Evidence will be held for 30 days,
which gives you time to decide whether to prosecute.
Seek immediate medical treatment. Seek
immediate medical treatment. Not all injuries are apparent,
so a medical exam is strongly advised. Albany Medical Center’s
S.A.E. program (specially trained Sexual Assault Examiners) offer both medical
examination and an exam for forensic evidence (a
“rape kit”). From an on-campus phone, you can call for
the campus ambulance service, 5-Quad, at 911. 5-Quad can
also be reached by calling 442-3131 at any
time of the day or night to arrange free transportation
to the Albany Medical Center.
While you are at the hospital it is recommended that you
see a trained advocate from the Crime Victim and Sexual
Violence Center. Advocates provide support and information
about other resources, including information about your
option to report the incident to the police as well as
information about crime victim funding that may help cover
medical expenses.
The medical exam, not including the evidence collection,
will be similar to a routine gynecological exam, and can
also include testing and preventive medications for sexually
transmitted diseases and pregnancy, and treatment. A medical
exam is advised to ensure and protect your health.
You can go to the University Health Center (UHC, 442-5454),
during their clinical service hours for basic medical care.
However, please note that the UHC cannot provide a rape
kit for gathering legal evidence nor do they offer the
medications for HIV prophylaxis — these services are available
through Albany Medical Center.
Seek support or counseling services. It
is normal to feel helpless, confused, frustrated, scared,
traumatized, or even unusually calm. The University Counseling
Center (442-5800) and the Crime Victim and Sexual Violence
Center (447-7100) offer counseling services (free of charge)
to help put emotions into perspective, and to help you
in your own healing process. The Crime Victim and Sexual
Violence Center also offers a 24-hour hotline (447-7716)
that is staffed by trained volunteers.
It is important to seek support for yourself after experiencing
something as traumatic as sexual assault. Talking to a
friend, RA, or anyone you feel comfortable with can be
an important step towards healing. Another resource is
the University’s Middle Earth Crisis Hotline (442-5777),
which is open when classes are in session, and is staffed
by trained undergraduates.
Consider reporting the incident.
Reports to University Administration: After a sexual assault,
it is up to you to decide whether to release your name
to the Office of the Vice President for Student Success
(OVPSS). To release your name you may give a University
staff member permission to share your name with the OVPSS
or you can call the OVPSS directly at 956-8140 and ask
for Christine Bouchard. Releasing your name may make
things easier for you. The OVPSS can offer you support
and timely information about resources, accommodations
and University and communtiy services to help you recover
from the incident. In addition, the OVPSS can contact
selected University offices for you to help ease your
access to services you may want and to spare you from
having to retell your experience repeatedly. However,
the OVPSS will only share your name with other University
staff on a strictly need to know basis. The main reason
a student may opt not to release her or his name to the
OVPSS is for personal privacy. If you are unsure about
whether to release your name, you can discuss this issue
confidentially with a counselor at the University Counseling
Center (442-5800). Please note that talking to a representative
from the Vice President’s Office does not require you
to cooperate with pressing criminal or judicial charges
against the assailant though you are welcome to do so
if you wish.
Reports to University judicial system: One way to press
charges is to file a complaint through the University judicial
system. If found guilty at a judicial hearing, the assailant
can face suspension or dismissal from the University. You
can contact the Office of Conflict Resolution and Civic Responsibility (442-5501) to
discuss options and to assess your best course of action
for pressing charges.
Reports to police: Forcing sexual acts on others and/or
initiating sexual acts with mentally incapacitated or physically
helpless individuals (e.g., an individual passed out from
excess alcohol or drug use) is against the law. Whether
or not you wish to press charges, you can report the incident
to police. Reasons for doing this include: 1) giving yourself
the option of pressing charges later, 2) having an incident
report on file in case the same assailant hurts someone
else, and 3) making police aware of potential danger to
other students. If the assault took place on campus, call
the University Police Department (UPD) 24-hours a day
at 442-3131. If the assault took place off campus, then
off campus police have jurisdiction and would accept your
report. Call Police in Albany (438-4000), Colonie (783-2744),
East Greenbush (479-1212) or Guilderland (356-1501) as
appropriate. UPD can assist you in locating the appropriate
off-campus authorities.
Please be aware that if you do wish to press charges,
the sooner a report is made and investigated the better
the chances of a successful prosecution.
Consider whether you need academic
accommodations. The University wants to encourage
you to persist with your academic goals while recognizing
that in the short run your ability to study may be disrupted.
One of the most important ways that the OVPSS can assist
you is to contact the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for
you to let the Dean know that you have experienced a sexual
assault and that you may be in need of extensions for exams
and assignments and/or excused absences. The Dean’s Office
can then contact your professors for you requesting that
they grant you consideration for extensions due to a recent
difficult event in your life. Your professors will not
know that you have been sexually assaulted unless you choose
to tell them. If you decide not to release your name to
the OVPSS and you want help obtaining academic extensions,
you can contact the Dean’s Office (442-3950) yourself and
disclose to them what has occurred. You are welcome to
do this but please know that if you choose this option
the Dean’s Office will have no way of knowing in advance
that something has happened to you.
If you are having such difficulty that you may not be able
to resume your studies for a long while, you may be eligible
for a medical withdrawal. The Dean’s Office or the OVPSS
can refer you to appropriate University personnel if you
wish to apply for a medical withdrawal.
Definition of sexual assault. Community
Rights and Responsibilities (CRR) specifies the University’s
definitions of behaviors that are unacceptable.
Sexual Assault I: By a stranger or an acquaintance, sexual
intercourse, sodomy, or any sexual penetration, however
slight, of another person’s oral, anal or genital opening
with any object where the victim clearly expressed (by
verbal and/or nonverbal means) that she or he did not consent
to the act. It should be established that a reasonable
person in the accused’s situation would have understood
the victim’s words and acts as an expression of lack of
consent. Where the victim did not directly express lack
of consent, but the accused used force, threat, intimidation,
or the victim’s mental or physical helplessness, the charge
of Sexual Assault I also applies. Mental or physical helplessness
would include, but not be limited to, the inability to
consent due to excessive alcohol or drug use or consumption.
Sexual Assault II: By a stranger or acquaintance, touching
an unwilling person’s intimate parts (defined as genitalia,
groin, breast, or buttocks, or clothing covering them)
or forcing an unwilling person to touch another’s intimate
parts. The accused is guilty of such acts where it can
be established that (1) the victim clearly expressed (by
verbal and/or nonverbal means) that she or he did not consent
to the act AND (2) a reasonable person in the accused’s
position would have understood the victim’s words or acts
as an expression of a lack of consent. Where the victim
did not directly express lack of consent, but the accused
used force, threat, intimidation or the victim’s mental
or physical helplessness, the charge of Sexual Assault
II also applies. Mental or physical helplessness would
include, but not be limited to, the inability to consent
due to excessive alcohol or drug use or consumption.
Note that behaviors which do not meet the definitions above
might still constitute Harassment, Sexual Harassment, or
Threatening or Abusive Behavior (see CRR booklet for further
information).
Myths and facts about sexual assault.
Myth: Sexual assault rarely happens.
Fact: Data compiled from several campus surveys across
the country suggest that at least 1 out of every 6 college
females has been a victim of rape or another form of sexual
assault. If we also include sexual assaults that occur
in childhood and later adulthood, approximately 1 in 4
women is sexually assaulted over the course of their lifetime.
Myth: College men are never sexually assaulted.
Fact: Although less frequent, college males can also be
sexually assaulted by adult men or women. Most often,
when a college male is assaulted it is by another male
regardless of the victim’s sexual orientation. It is
equally important for male survivors to receive medical,
psychological and legal assistance.
Myth: Rape is usually committed by strangers lurking in
alleys or wooded areas.
Fact: Between 70 and 80% of victims know their assailants,
sometimes for only a few hours, sometimes for a few years.
The vast majority of all sexual assaults occur in the residence
of either the victim or perpetrator.
Myth: If a woman has not fought back or was not bruised
or injured, then she was not sexually assaulted.
Fact: Sexual assault is a frightening experience, and the
victim may have been in shock or frozen with fear. Or,
if the perpetrator used threats or presented a weapon,
then there often will not be signs of a struggle. When
someone is being sexually assaulted, it is a wise decision
for her/him to get out of the situation with the least
amount of injury. Therefore, it is important to respect
the decision of someone who chose not to fight back.
Supporting a friend. If someone
that you know is sexually assaulted, there are several
important ways in which you can be helpful:
1. Be a supportive listener. For a survivor, talking about
the experience can be an important part of healing. How
ever, it can also be embarrassing and shameful to discuss.
Try to listen without judging, and help the survivor see
that the assault was not her/his fault.
2. Provide information and resources. Be aware that a
survivor of assault may need medical, psychological, and
legal assistance. Become familiar with the resources discussed
in this pamphlet, and keep the information for a reference.
3. Let the survivor make the decisions about how to proceed.
After an assault, it is important to gain back a sense
of control over one’s environment, and one’s body. Although
it is important to suggest that the person receive medical
attention, preserve evidence, seek crisis counseling, and
report the incident to police, these decisions must be
made by the survivor, not for the survivor.
4. Seek assistance for yourself. If someone close to you
is sexually assaulted, you may also experience an intense
emotional reaction. Talking to someone can help you sort
out your own reactions and better prepare you to help the
person you care about. The University Counseling Center
(442-5800) provides consultation as well as counseling.
Support is also available from the Crime Victim and Sexual
Violence Center (447-7100), and from the Middle Earth Crisis
Line (442-5777).
The University at Albany is committed to
providing a safe and secure environment
in which all its members are treated with
dignity and respect. To that end, the
University takes the strongest possible stand
against sexual violence in all its forms including
sexual assault but also including the use of
coercion, intimidation or exploitation of others
for sexual purposes. The University is actively
engaged in educating its members about these
vital issues and in providing timely support and
assistance to victims of sexual assault.
Resources: A Quick Reference
| Police or Medical Emergency | 911 |
| University Police Department |
| From an on campus phone | 911 |
| From a cell or off campus phone | 442-3131 |
| Non-emergency | 442-3132 |
| Albany City Police (non-emergency) | 438-4000 |
| Colonie Police (non-emergency) | 783-2744 |
| Guilderland Police | 356-1501 |
| East Greenbush Police | 479-1212 |
Albany Medical Center Hospital
(Emergency Room and S.A.E.) |
262-3131 |
| University Health Center | 442-5454 |
5-Quad Ambulance
(on campus - 24 hours/day) |
911
or 442-3131 |
| University Counseling Center | 442-5800 |
| Middle Earth Hotline | 442-5777 |
Crime Victim and Sexual Violence
Center of Albany County |
| 24-hour hotline | 447-7716 |
| Office Number (for counseling) | 447-7100 |
Office of Conflict Resolutions
and Civic Responsibility Affairs |
442-5501 |
Office of the Vice President
for Student Success |
956-8140 |
| Dean of Undergraduate Studies | 442-3950 |
| Residential Life & Housing | 442-5875 |
Prepared by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Program,
University Counseling Center and the
Office of the Vice President for Student Success.
