Assistance for Survivors of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is not only a physical attack, but is also a personally threatening event that can undermine a person’s autonomy and trust in others. The steps that are described below offer optional assistance to a survivor of sexual assault. These steps help with immediate and ongoing medical needs and legal issues as well as to provide support to the survivor in regaining a sense of control over her or his life.

If you have been sexually assaulted, these steps are recommended:


  • Go to a safe place.

  • Remain as calm as possible. If the attacker is unknown to you, take a mental photograph of the attacker. Whether or not the attacker is known, notice everything: clothes, hair, any identifying marks such as scars or tattoos, and the height of the person in relation to you.

  • Remember all you can about the setting, if it is an unfamiliar place. Leave your own fingerprints everywhere. Hide a small personal item such as a button or earring—anything that can be traced to you.

  • Do not bathe, douche, or change clothing prior to seeking emergency medical care or calling the police. It is important to preserve physical evidence.

  • Report the incident to the Bowdoin Campus Security and/or the Brunswick Police Department as soon as possible. A student may also contact the dean-on-call for a general explanation of what to expect at the Emergency Room and when filing a police report. If requested, the dean-on-call will assist the student in notifying Campus Security and the Brunswick Police Department and will continue to support the student as long as the student wishes.

  • Obtain a medical examination as soon as possible. While acute, immediate post-assault treatment is provided in the Parkview and MidCoast Hospitals’ emergency rooms, the Dudley Coe Health Center offers follow-up care, including health care services for students who have chosen not to seek care immediately after an assault.

  • Seek help. Hiding a sexual assault can have a longterm impact on someone who has been attacked.

  • Note that delayed reporting makes more difficult to find and convict the attacker. You are advised to file a report with the police, which does not oblige you to press charges or pursue legal action. Remember that most rapists are repeat offenders and that the police and courts cannot stop them without your help.

Confidentiality

The College will make every effort reasonably possible to preserve an individual’s privacy and protect the confidentiality of information. The degree to which confidentiality can be protected, however, depends upon the professional role of the person being consulted. The person being consulted should discuss the extent of information that might be disclosed before the complainant shares any facts. The College’s policy is to maintain confidentiality unless legal requirements or community safety require disclosure.

An individual can speak confidentially with certain persons in legally protected roles. They include counselors at the Counseling Service, medical clinicians, and clergy. Exceptions to maintaining confidentiality are set by law; for example, physicians and nurses who treat a physical injury sustained during sexual assault are required to report to law enforcement agencies. Also, physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers must report a sexual assault committed against a person under 18 years of age to a child protective agency.

Information shared with any other individuals is not legally protected from being disclosed. For example, an Office of the Dean of Students Affairs or a Residential Life staff member may need to inform other individuals to protect community safety or rights, in fairness to the persons involved, or in response to legal requirements. The Bowdoin Security Department’s policy is to maintain confidentiality. However, if criminal charges are filed with the Brunswick Police Department, confidentiality may be legally unavailable. As required by law, all disclosures to any College employee of an on-campus sexual assault are tabulated for statistical purposes by the Bowdoin Security Department, without identifying information.

Safe Space

Safe Space is a group of trained students dedicated to supporting people who have experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault. Safe Space offers people who have experienced sexual harassment and sexual assault a place to share their experiences in a confidential and supportive atmosphere. Members of Safe Space are trained by counselors from SASSMM and can be reached through campus mail, e-mail, or by telephone to answer questions and provide support. As part of their mission of support, Safe Space members sponsor a number of activities throughout the year aimed at educating Bowdoin students about sexual harassment and assault. Members are available to discuss these issues with all students and members of the community. Names of members are available from Proctors and Resident Assistants as well as the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, Counseling Services, Health Services and Security.

NOTE ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

According to the Maine Office of Civil Rights, sexual harassment exists when any of four conditions are met:


  1. The conduct has either the purpose or effect of “substantially interfering” with a student’s education; OR

  2. The conduct creates an “intimidating, hostile or offensive” living, learning or working environment; OR

  3. Submission to the conduct is made a term or condition, either implicitly or explicitly, of obtaining an education; OR

  4. Submission or rejection of the conduct is used as a factor in decisions affecting a student’s education or College employment.