What to do if you have been sexually assaulted:
- Go to a safe place.
- Preserve all physical evidence of the assault. Do not shower, bathe, douche, or brush your teeth. If possible do not urinate, eat, drink liquids, take any medications, smoke or brush your teeth if oral contact took place. Save all of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault. Place each item of clothing in a separate paper bag. Do not use plastic bags. Do not clean any clothing garments. Do not disturb or destroy any physical evidence. If the crime occurred in the victim's home, the victim should not clean or straighten until the police have had an opportunity to collect evidence.
- Following an incident, victims are encouraged to make a report to campus or local police. If an individual needs assistance in notifying authorities, University officials will assist them in doing so. Filing a police report does not obligate prosecution, but does provide the opportunity for the collection of evidence, investigation into the allegations and makes legal action possible. The earlier an incident is reported the easier it is to collect valuable evidence. Further reporting the crime can help you regain a sense of personal power and control and can also help to ensure the safety of other potential victims.
- Report the incident to the university police/security or local police. Your campus resource list provides local contact information for campus security/police or local police.
- Victims have the option of keeping their report of sexual assault in complete confidence, protecting their right to anonymity, when making a report through the University Student Counseling or FEAP for employees and Health Care/Student Health. When reporting to anyone other than the University Student Counseling or FEAP for employees and Health Care/Student Health individuals are obligated to forward the information on to the University Title IX Coordinator for investigation and to UNMC Security/Police for investigation/statistical collection.
- Call a friend, a family member, or someone else you trust and ask her or him to stay with you.
- Seek medical care even if you think that you do not have any physical injuries, you should still have a medical examination and discuss with a health care provider the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases and the possibility of pregnancy resulting from the sexual assault.
- Student's campus resource list provides local contact information for campus Health Care/Student Health and local Health Care Centers.
- Employee's campus resource list provides local contact information for local Health Care Centers.
- If you suspect that you may have been given a rape drug, ask the clinician where you receive medical care to take a urine sample. Rape drugs, such as Rohypnol and GSB, are more likely to be detected in the urine than in blood.
- Write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of the assault, including a description of the assailant.
- Talk with a confidential advocate who is trained to assist sexual assault victims with the emotional and physical impacts of the assault. Advocates are available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Your campus resource list provides local contact information for help centers, advocates and student/employee counselors.
- Students and Employees who have been sexually assaulted harassed or complainants have access to University assistance in changing academic, living, working and transportation situations after an alleged incident. If the request is made by the student, employee or complainant and if such changes are reasonably available, accommodations to minimize burden on the student or employee.
- University code of conduct action, Title IX action, employee disciplinary action, criminal prosecution and civil suits are all options available to victims of sexual assault. To begin the university conduct process, the campus authority or victim should contact:
- For Students contact
- Philip D Covington, EdD
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Success
Student Life Center - Office# 2033
Telephone: 402-559-27920.
- Philip D Covington, EdD
- For Faculty and Staff contact
- For Students contact
Once the university has been notified the university is obligated to investigate the incident and complete the process.
- Additional resources about legal issues, health care, or other concerns related to the assault can be found in Student's campus resource list and Employee's campus resource list