Sexual assault at Ohio University keeps occuring. Columnist Erin Davoran provides information on where survivors can go for help.
Five weeks ago, I wrote about the need for sexual assault on campus to stop. At that point, there were two sexual assaults reported to the Ohio University Police Department and Athens Police Department.
Now, there have been nine reported to OUPD.
Last week, a parent contacted me anonymously, saying their child, an Ohio University student, is a sexual assault survivor and people need to know not only that sexual assault is happening here, but what to do if it happens. I agree.
I’m sure the following list of resources is available online somewhere. And all the information about the resources can be found on their websites and by talking to people who run them; that’s how I gathered it all. But I wanted to collect it and publish it because survivors shouldn’t strain themselves to go looking for help. They’ve been through enough. They should just know it’s there. This also is not the end-all-be-all of resources available to survivors, but hopefully, it’s a start.
If you have been sexually assaulted, it is best to get to a medical center for examination as soon as possible, up to 96 hours after the assault. OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital has staff members who are trained in sexual assault evidence collection, which they call a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="10fd74da-67c7-11e5-88ef-23b494150112"}}
You can have your kit collected anonymously or have your name attached. If you send it away anonymously it will go to the police, but it will not be investigated unless you have it reopened later. Campus Care does not collect S.A.F.E. kits (though they used to and still should) but does provide STD testing and treatment, HIV testing and emergency contraception. Campus Care is located in Hudson Health Center and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
If 96 hours have passed or you do not want to go through the evidence collection process (it can be retraumatizing), it does not mean you cannot get justice or help.
The Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program offers support for those in the campus community who are survivors of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking by providing emotional support, academic advocacy, resources and referrals, and help with medical, legal, and institutional processes.
OUSAP peer advocates go through 40 hours of training and can accompany survivors through medical exams, reporting to the police and Title IX processes.
Confidentiality at OUSAP is guaranteed by law.
OUSAP is located at Lindley Hall 033 and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A 24-hour crisis hotline is available at 740-597-7233.
All OUSAP services are free and available to all survivors, even if your assault did not happen at OU or in Athens.
OUSAP is more short-term crisis oriented, but Counseling & Psychological Services is available for longer-term care. Counseling is available to all students and the office is located on the third floor of Hudson. CPS drop-in hours are 9:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Drop-ins are free of charge.
CPS offers individual counseling as well as group counseling. It has two support groups for survivors: Sexual Assault Survivor Support Group for women and Healing Connections: A Trauma Support Group for any survivors of sexual assault. After an initial contact appointment, counselors will help place you in the appropriate individual or group setting.
CPS also has a Counselor-in-Residency Program which places clinical psychology or counselor education doctoral students with Masters degrees and two years of supervised clinical training in the dorms. The CR Program holds hours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Friday and is located in Living Learning Center Room 160.
CPS has a 24/7 Crisis Intervention Service available at 740-593-1616.
Campus Care, OUSAP and CPS do not have a duty to report violations of the OU sexual misconduct policy.
Mandatory reporters include OU faculty, administration, coaches and staff. In some cases, OU graduate assistants and student employees also have a duty to report.
Reports are made to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance. Reports were formerly made to the Office of Institutional Equity, which was reorganized into ECRC and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility.
Reports can be filed by the survivor or a second party (including mandatory reporters) on behalf of the survivor through an online form, by phone or email, or in person to a Title IX investigator. The investigators are Amanda Hobson (hobson@ohio.edu) and Nicholas Oleksy (oleksyn@ohio.edu). Reports can be made anonymously, though ECRC warns that it greatly decreases the chances of investigating and resolving the incident.
ECRC is located at Lindley Hall 006. You can contact the office at 740-593-9140 or at equity@ohio.edu.
Reporting to the police depends on location. Sexual assaults that occur on campus are reported to OUPD, located at 135 Scott Quad. You can contact OUPD at 740-593-1911.
Assaults that occur in the city of Athens are reported to APD, located at 11 N. College St. You can contact APD at 740-593-6606.
Assaults that occur in Athens County are reported to the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, located at 13 W. Washington St. You can contact the office at 740-592-3264.
Reports to law enforcement can be made at the station, or officers can go to the person filing the report.
The process of reporting and investigating sexual assaults to the school and/or police is a whole other monster that I hope to address in another column.
Survivors need these resources and need to know they exist. Friends and family of survivors also need to know about these resources so when their loved ones are looking to get help, they know how. Survivors should know that people care and are there to help. You are not alone.
I gathered the information on these resources from OUSAP Director Delaney Anderson, ECRC Director and Title IX Coordinator Inya Baiye, the Campus Care, OUSAP, CPS, ECRC and Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility websites, and the OU Sexual Misconduct Policy online.
Erin Davoran is a senior studying journalism. Did you know about these resources? Tweet her @erindavoran or email her at ed414911@ohio.edu.
