Sexual Assault Resources
Jump to: My Options | Title IX | Reporting Process | Support Survivors | Intervention | Resources
What are my options if I am sexually assaulted?
If you are NOT safe
Contact Public Safety or the Milwaukee Police Department
- MSOE Emergency: (414) 277-7159
- MSOE Non-emergency: (414) 277-7169
- Milwaukee Police Department: 911
Seek medical attention
Why seek medical attention?
- There may be injuries you do not yet feel
- Medicine can be given to prevent and STD’s or STI’s
- Collection of bodily evidence of assault (does not mean you have to press charges)
- Conduct tests for drugs in blood system
Aurora Sinai sexual assault treatment center is trained in collecting this data and working with sexual assault survivors and can send an advocate to accompany you to the hospital.
Call the Healing Center Hotline
Connect with an advocate to answer your questions and obtain support. They can be reached by calling (414) 219-5555.
Report incident to Title IX coordinator or trusted faculty member
Title IX Coordinator:
Kip Kussman
Phone: (414) 277-2386
Location: Cudahy Campus Center: CC385
Email: mailto:kussman@msoe.edu
Incident Report Form
Schedule appointment with Counseling Services
Location: Kern Center K-250
Phone: (414) 277-7590
Email: wellness@msoe.edu
Visit campus medical assistant
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Kern Center K-230
Phone: (414) 277-7333
Title IX
What is Title IX?
Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment, rape, and sexual assault. A college or university that receives federal funds may be held legally responsible when it knows about and ignores sexual harassment or assault in its programs or activities.
Sexual harassment can qualify as discrimination under Title IX if it is "so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim's access to an educational opportunity or benefit."
To be held responsible, the college or university must have authority over the harasser and over the environment in which the harassment takes place.
According to the Supreme Court, a school becomes legally responsible when the school's response to harassment "is clearly unreasonable in light of the known circumstances."
The Supreme Court has ruled that a college or university receiving federal funding may have to pay damages to the victim of student-on student sexual harassment or assault if the victim can show that the college acted with "deliberate indifference to known acts of harassment in its programs or activities."
Summary of Title IX complaint process and MSOE policy
MSOE Reporting Process
The MSOE Sexual Misconduct Grievance Process
MSOE will conduct a timely sexual misconduct grievance process:
- From the receipt of a complaint to the determination of a finding and the administration of remedies, a grievance process typically must be resolved in 60 calendar days.
- Any delays must be documented and explained in case files and in findings reports associated with such investigations.
- Both parties in an investigation shall be given periodic updates on the status of an investigation that exceeds 60 days.
- MSOE will conduct an investigation concerning an incident, regardless of whether or not the incident is also the focus of a criminal investigation.
Non-Confidential, Formal Reporting of a Sexual Misconduct
Complaint to a Responsible Employee:
- Enables you officially and formally to report a sexual misconduct incident to MSOE employees who will take immediate action when you report your complaint to them.
- This reporting option constitutes actual notice of a sexual misconduct incident to the University.
- Employees will notify the University’s Title IX Coordinator to commence an official, prompt, adequate, and effective University-led investigation, adjudication, resolution, and remedying of the situation.
- You are strongly encouraged to make a formal report of a sexual misconduct incident to University officials who have the authority to commence an official University investigation.
- I.e. University president, University vice presidents, Public Safety officers, Human Resources personnel, Title IX Coordinator
How can I Support Survivors?
Believe the survivor
Avoid asking probing questions. If it seems like you’re interrogating them, the survivor might feel that you don’t believe them.
Learn as much as you can about sexual assault and its effects
Not only will this knowledge enable you to better help the survivor, but your effort to understand will also show the survivor that they are not alone. It is crucial that you understand the devastation of the trauma.
Listen carefully and give your full attention to the survivor
Allow silences. It can be very difficult for a survivor to talk about their assault, and it’s important not to rush them.
Validate the survivor’s feelings, even if you do not understand them
Do not make any assumptions about what happened or what they are feeling.
Take a moment to consider your words before you speak
You may feel the urge to reassure the survivor, but statements like “it could have been worse” or “you will be fine” may imply that you don’t appreciate the gravity of the experience and are minimizing its importance.
Remind the survivor that the assault was not their fault
No one ever deserves to be assaulted. Remind the survivor that you support them, care about them, and don’t see them any differently.
Respect the survivor’s boundaries
They may want time alone and they may not want to be touched. Don’t touch them unless you are certain that they are comfortable with that.
Ask the survivor if they want any resources or support
If they do, offer help in seeking counseling or medical help, or reporting to campus or local authorities. Offer to assist the survivor in resuming their day-to-day life, such as accompanying them on errands or anything else that helps the survivor feel safe.
Respect the survivor’s autonomy
Support them regardless of whether you agree with what they choose to do. An assault violates a survivor’s sense of safety and strips them of control, so it is crucial that you allow them to exercise their own agency. Do not offer unsolicited advice.
Know that survivors respond in many different ways to an assault
There is no “correct” way to respond. Recovery is a lengthy and non-linear process. The survivor may seem fine one day and terribly anxious the next day. This is normal. They need time to process and grieve.
Respect the survivor’s privacy
Keep all information confidential unless you have the survivor’s permission to do otherwise.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself
Supporting someone who survived a trauma can be very difficult. Pay attention to your own feelings and needs.
Bystander Intervention
Notice the event
Pay attention to your surroundings. If you see something, say something!
Interpret the event as a problem
Recognize that someone is being taken advantage of, vulnerable, or in danger. When in doubt, trust your gut, and step up to help at the at the earliest possible point.
Take personal responsibility to help
If you don't help, it is unlikely that anyone else will.
Decide how you are going to help
Try not to put yourself at risk or make the situation worse. There are many ways to help in different situations.
Help
Take action and intervene to help prevent or respond to problematic situations at the earliest possible point. If you are not able to fully able to step up and help in a situation, consider responding by asking the person or persons involved if they need help or assistance, contacting the police, or seeking out others for assistance.
Types of Intervening / Helping:
- Direct intervention: Directly addressing the situation in the moment to prevent harm. Examples of helping directly include talking to the person or removing them from the situation.
- Delegation: Ask other people to help you. This may be someone who is in a role of authority, such as a police officer or campus official.
- Distraction: Interrupting the situation without directly confronting someone by causing a distraction. Examples include spilling your drink or distracting the individuals who may be involved in the situation by asking a question, causing a scene, or ordering pizza.
Resources
Hotlines
- National sexual assault hotline (RAINN): (800) 656.HOPE (4673)
- National domestic violence hotline: (800) 799-7233 OR (800) 787-3224 (TTY)
- National teen dating abuse hotline - Call: (866) 331-9474 OR Text: loveis to 22522
- Trevor project: (866) 488-7386
- Stalking resource center: (202) 467-8700