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What to Do If You Are Sexually Assaulted
Take care of yourself. Remember that what has happened to you is not your fault. You are not to blame for what took place before or during the incident-no matter what you did or how you behaved, you did not deserve to have your rights or body violated. The assailant is completely responsible for what happened. And you have a right to get the care and attention you need to heal from the experience.
Tell someone what happened. Talk to a friend or trusted confidante, the Cornell Victim Advocate, or the rape hotline (277-5000). Find someone who is knowledgeable about the needs of victims, who can lend support, and who will offer to accompany you to get the help you may need.
Get medical care. As soon as you can, get medical care from Gannett (255-5155), the hospital, or a private physician. You will benefit from being examined for physical injury and disease. You may need to discuss options for pregnancy prevention. Gannett staff members are available twenty-four hours a day to provide medical information to survivors of sexual assault at Cornell. Should you be considering legal action, do no bathe, shower, douche, or change clothes. The hospital (Cayuga Medical Center) can provide medical care as well as collect the evidence necessary for prosecution. Go to the Emergency Room (preferably within 72 hous of the assault) and ask for a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner).
You may want to report the incident. It is your decision whether to report the attack. Your can notify the Cornell Police (255-1111) or the Ithaca Police Department (272-3245). Filing an informational report does not obligate you to press charges. Should you choose to press charges later, a report will significantly increase the possibility of successful prosecution. You may want to talk to Cornell's Victim Advocate or a law enforcement officer about reporting procedures and options. The Judicial Administrator (255-4680) is available to consult with you about violations that occur at Cornell. If the perpetrator is a member of the Cornell community, you may want to talk to the J.A. to find out what options are available and what campus judicial actions can be taken.
Ask questions. See RESOURCES for places to make confidential inquiries.
What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?
Even when the actual assault is over, you may suffer from Rape Trauma Syndrome, a variety of difficulties commonly experienced after a sexual assault. People respond to sexual assault in many different ways, ranging from extreme calm to extreme agitation. Many victims appear to themselves and to others to have their feelings in control, only to become extremely upset again within a short time. Some of these reactions may be short-lived; others can be troubling for months or years. In any case, it is important to know that information and help are available. Contact The Advocacy Center or Gannett: Cornell University Health Services (CAPS-Counseling and Psychological Services or the Sex Counselor.)
You might experience any or all of the following reactions: emotional shock, denial, nightmares, sleeplessness, intrusive memories or thoughts about the assault, inability to work or make decisions, impaired relationships, guilt, despair, depression, fear, anxiety, self blame, or anger.
Helping a Friend: What You Can Do
You can't do everything. Despite your best intentions, you need to realize that there are limits to what a friend can do to help. At times your friend may not want to deal with the rape and, as a result, may even avoid you. If you need to express feelings you friend doesn't want or need to hear, find a trustworthy confidant or counselor. There will also be times when you need time off from helping, and when you should help your friend find other support. Friends are often essential support in the recovery process, but remember also that a counselor with expertise in treating victims of rape and sexual assault can play a very important role in your friend's recovery. Immediately after a rape, you and your friend should consider taking these steps:
1. Call the rape hotline at (607) 277-5000. They can provide an advocate who is knowledgeable about the needs of rape victims and who will offer to accompany you and your friend through the other two steps:
2. Get medical attention. Your friend will benefit from being examined for physical injury and disease and/or discussing options for pregnancy prevention. At this time your friend may choose to have physical and medical evidence of assault recorded for legal purposes. Should your friend decide later to press charges, such evidence will significantly increase the possibility of successful prosecution. Medical services are available at Gannett: Cornell University Health Services. Cayuga Medical Center provides the evidence collection (274-4011).
3. Notify the police. An informational report does not obligate your friend to press charges and is very helpful to police. Consider accompanying your friend should she/he decide to talk with the police.
Helping a Friend: Do's and Dont's
Do
 Believe your friend. People rarely lie about rape or assault.
Listen to you friend and concentrate on understanding her or his feelings.
Allow your friend to be silent; you don't have to talk every time he or she stops
talking.
Let your friend know that you understand her or his feelings. For example, you
might say, "You must have been very frightened."
Ask how you can help.
Offer to accompany your friend in seeking medical attention or counseling or in
going to police.
Help your friend regain a sense of control. Support her or him in making decisions
about whom to tell and how to proceed.
Remind your friend that rape is the rapist's fault, not the victim's.
Offer shelter or companionship so that your friend doesn't have to be alone.
Help your friend learn about, recognize, and seek treatment for signs of Rape
Trauma Syndrome.
Don't
Ask questions that imply that the rape was your friend's fault, such as "Why did
you go to his room? Why didn't you scream? Why didn't you run away?"
Touch or hug your friend unless you're sure your friend is comfortable with physical
contact.
Act in ways that are upsetting to your friend. Be wary of phrases like "If I could
find the creep, I'd kill him." Although you may be trying to be supportive, that type
of comment might upset your friend even more.
Tell anyone about the assault without your friend's permission.
Tell your friend what to do; rather, help her or him explore the options. Among the
complex decisions your friend will have to make are whether to report the assault
to the police and whether to press charges. Rape crisis counselors and the judicial
administrator can be helpful in discussing the options.
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