Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in America, but on-campus resources can help students whether they want to be anonymous or not.
While in college, one in five women are sexually assaulted and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. More than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.
When students at the University are sexually assaulted, University Police Chief Monica Moll said victims have some decisions they can make about what to do if they’ve been raped.
First, Moll said, a student can decide if they want to press charges through the campus police or the student can decide to go through a code of conduct hearing if he or she knows who assaulted them.
If a student does press charges, the first step is to go to the hospital if the assault has occurred in the last 96 hours. While at the hospital, Moll said victims are allowed to have a victim’s advocate with them while evidence is collected through a rape kit. The campus police will also ask where the assault took place and will go investigate.
However, the process is not completely anonymous.
“Once the investigation is over, it becomes public access. The only redaction … would be if a suspect was never charged,” Moll said.
“It’s a very complex issue,” Moll said. “But there are many victims who decide never to come forward to report. If you go to the counseling center, it is completely confidential.”
According to the Sentinel Tribune, at the end of 2015, the University received a grant from the state as a way to help combat sexual assault. The $82,835 grant will be used to provide an on-campus victim advocate from The Cocoon, the domestic violence shelter located in Bowling Green.
Because of the grant money, The Women’s Center here on campus will have access to a full-time victim advocate for use for University students, staff and faculty members.
“Within a few weeks, there will be a full-time victim advocate on campus here to serve … both students and employees who experience sexual assault or relationship violence,” Mary Krueger, director of The Women’s Center, said.
The Cocoon provides services for domestic abuse and sexual violence for students, as well as the Bowling Green community. The services that they provide allow victims to stay anonymous if they want and gives them access to a victim advocate.
“Victim advocates are there to support a victim throughout the entire process,” Kathy Mull, program director at The Cocoon said. The entire process includes someone being there to help with the medical process, the criminal justice process and just having someone by the victim’s side when they need support.
The best way to get in contact with a victim advocate is to call The Link, which is a 24-hour hotline where victim advocates are employed all day and night, at 419-352-1545.
