The Counseling Center is a confidential place to discuss sexual assault or gender based violence. Unlike most other campus faculty and staff, counselors are not mandated to report sexual assaults to campus authorities. Counselors can provide support around your experience of assault and discuss resources and reporting options with you in confidence.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there are campus and community resources.
Download this Sexual Assault and Gender Based Violence Resources Brochure for a brief summary of information about medical help, reporting options, confidential places on campus to seek support, and options for general support on campus (e.g. classes, housing, etc.).
Information is also available on the University’s Sexual Discrimination and Misconduct Policy page.
Important Numbers
-
Bellarmine Campus Security 502.272.7777
- Bellarmine Counseling Center 502.272.8480
- Louisville Metro Police Department 911
- Center for Women and Families 877.803.7577
- National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE
Resources
What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact to which one party does not consent or is unable to consent. Rape is a specific type of sexual assault. Rape and other types of sexual assault are crimes, punishable by incarceration.
Facts about Sexual Assault
- Approximately 1 in 5 females in the United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime.
- 90% of rape victims are female (which also means that 10% of victims are male)
- Only about 23% of rape victims ever report the crime to law enforcement officials.
- Approximately 26.4% of female undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation during their college years.
- Among college students, 90% of rape survivors knew their assailant (often a classmate, ex-boyfriend or acquaintance).
- Among college students, most rapes occur on campus in the victim's room.
- Sources: RAINN Campus Sexual Violence Statistics, CDC Sexual Violence Prevention and National Sexual Violence Prevention Center Questions and Answers
What to Do If You Have Been Raped
Rape is a violent crime. While reactions to rape may
vary, there are certain actions that survivors are encouraged to take.
- Get to a Safe Place Immediately: After experiencing a traumatizing event such as rape, it
is important to find a place where you feel comfortable and safe from
harm. This location could be a friend's room, family home, RA’s room,
Campus Security Office, Counseling Center, Health Services, or the
Center for Women and Families.
- If you want to report the assault, contact
Campus Security or Local Police As Soon As Possible: For your safety and the potential safety of the community,
it is important to report your assault to Campus Security. You may
also wish to file a report with the local police, which will be
important if you decide to seek criminal prosecution. You may chose to
drop charges at any time; however, once reported police may decide to
continue an investigation without your cooperation. A delayed report
could result in the loss of physical evidence which could be vital in
court proceedings. If the assault occurred on campus, you should report
to Campus Security. If the assault occurred off campus, you should
contact the local police.
- Get Support: You may want to reach out to a trusted friend or
family member. You may also contact a Student Affairs staff member
(e.g. RA, campus minister, Counseling Center staff, Health Services
staff), who can assist in connecting you with other support you may
need.
- Preserve All Physical Evidence: If possible do not bathe, shower, douche, eat, drink,
smoke, urinate, brush your teeth, or change your clothes. Do not
disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred; otherwise, you
might destroy evidence. If you have changed your clothes, take the
clothes you were wearing at the time of the rape to the hospital in a
paper bag (plastic may destroy important evidence).
- Seek Medical Attention: If you have been raped, it is important that you seek
medical attention as soon as possible. You can receive medical
attention through an emergency room or through the Center for Women and
Families. There you can be treated for possible injuries, pregnancy
or sexually transmitted disease. You may also undergo a Physical
Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK), which is very helpful if you decide to
pursue an investigation.
- Write Down As Much As You Can Remember
About the Assailant and the Assault: If you decide to report or press charges, you will have
the details to give the police or university officials. It is
important to do this as soon as possible because your memory of details
and events may start to fade.
- Seek Follow-Up Counseling: Whether or not you report the assault or prosecute, a
trained counselor can help you process the emotional trauma of an
assault. The Counseling Center can provide both counseling and advocacy
throughout the process. Services are also available off campus through
the Center for Women and Families and Seven Counties Services.
- Sexual Discrimination and Misconduct Policy: If your assailant was a fellow Bellarmine student, you may file judicial charges against the accused individual under university judicial procedures. Information about this process is available in your student handbook (pages 63-76).
- Civil Action: You may also pursue civil action against your assailant
in a public court of law. For more information about your options in
civil or criminal court, you should contact the local district
attorney's office or private counsel.
If Someone You Care About Has Been Raped
- It is important to understand and remember that: The survivor is experiencing some degree of
outrage, helplessness, guilt, embarrassment, isolation, and alienation. The survivor may feel afraid of being alone, of
strangers and of others' reactions. The survivor may have difficulty relating to
others, trusting, expressing affection, making decisions or keeping up
with classes or work.
- Believe the survivor
- Listen without interrupting
- Provide support. Validate the feelings the survivor
is experiencing
- Assist the survivor in getting what they need
- Encourage the survivor to get help from a trained
trauma response counselor
- Do not tell them to forget
- Be willing to confront your own past and deal with
your own emotions
- Do not burden the survivor with your own issues