Violence, Harassment & Intolerance on Campus

Sept. 24, 2009 -- Fall should be a time when young people feel safe on campus and can focus on learning. But some scary stuff is happening on campuses all over. One student is sharing her very personal story with My9 News.

A shocking new survey says crimes on college campuses are thriving. The survey was done using Facebook to reach out to college students. When the results came back, even the group that did the survey -- the Campus Tolerance Foundation -- couldn't believe it.

The group surveyed students at 10 institutions: Barnard College; George Washington University; Harvard University; Ohio State University; Texas A & M University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Florida, Gainesville; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and University of Washington, Seattle.

Overall, more than half (59 percent) of all students across the 10 campuses personally experienced or witnessed bias incidents – graffiti, verbal insults, physical threats or physical assaults – targeting individuals because of their group identity, according to the survey.

RESOURCES FOR COPING WITH VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT ON CAMPUS

CAMPUS TOLERANCE FOUNDATION

SURVEY REPORT (PDF)

NYC ALLIANCE AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT

EMERGENCY CARE SITES

NYC HOTLINES AND REFERRAL SERVICES

FACTS FOR SURVIVORS WHO CHOOSE TO PRESS CHARGES

FACTS FOR SURVIVORS OPTING NOT TO PRESS CHARGES

CAMPUS SECURITY DATA

Informantion from the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, here is some vital information from the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault on how to get help and recover.

• Get to a safe place. (For example -- someone's home, the nearest hospital or police precinct)
• Call 911 to be taken to an emergency room for medical care and/or for immediate police protection and assistance. A complete medical evaluation will include a physical examination, treatment, evidence collection, and/or counseling. Remember, you will not be made to do anything you do not want to do and may decline any of the elements of this evaluation.
• If you have been raped, it is important to seek medical care, especially if you have been physically injured. Even if you do not have any visible physical injuries from the assault, there may be physical injuries that you cannot see, and medical and health centers can provide additional services such as testing for sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception.
• When you call 911, explain what has happened and request to be sent to an emergency department that is a certified SAFE Center of Excellence. (See "What is a 'SAFE Center of Excellence")
• In the meantime, do not change clothes, bathe, douche, or brush your teeth. This is important for the evidence collection process that will occur at the hospital.
• If you seek to place a report with the police or press charges, it is best for evidence collection to occur within 96 hours of the rape.
• Keep in mind, though, that evidence collection does not require you to place a report with the police or press charges, it just preserves these options for the future.
• Or, go directly to the nearest SAFE Center of Excellence Emergency Department. If you go to the nearest emergency department that that is not a designated SAFE Center, you can be transferred to the nearest SAFE Center of Excellence.