Responding to Sexual Incidents

When secretly slipped into a beverage of any type, sedating substances can leave anyone vulnerable to sexual assault. You may not be able to see it, smell it or taste it. And you don't have to be at a bar or club. It could happen in any social setting. There are some things that you can do to help reduce your risk.

• Watch your drink! Always keep your beverage in sight at all times.
• At a bar or club, accept drinks only from the bartender or server.
• At social gatherings and parties, don't accept open-container drinks from anyone!
• Don't take drugs of any kind. The effects of these sedating drugs can be lethal as they suppress your ability to breathe. Be aware that the effects of many drugs are compounded with the consumption of alcohol.
• Be aware that some drugs, like GHB, or Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, can be homemade using the same caustic chemicals that are present in strong household cleaners. Taking these drug mixtures, knowingly or unknowingly can have potentially lethal consequences.
• If you experience dizziness, extreme drowsiness, or other sudden and unexplained symptoms, call someone you know and trust for help, or go to a hospital emergency room immediately. If possible try to retain a sample of the beverage for testing.
• If you think you've been sexually assaulted, immediately call the Rape Crisis Hotline (315.342.1600) or police. Don't be afraid to reach out for help. There are tests to prove you've been drugged, and a federal law that can help put the rapist in prison. Reporting quickly is vital.

This message is provided by the Oswego County District Attorney's Date-Rape Drug Committee a sub-committee of the Child Abuse Task Force, The Oswego County Drug Task Force, local Law Enforcement, SUNY Oswego and University Police, in collaboration with Hoffmann-La Roche.

Tips in handling annoyance electronic communication:

1. If you engage in communication with someone and it becomes harassing or annoying, tell them so, then do not reply to their communications. 
2. Do not respond. The subject is attempting to get some kind of response from you. If they do not get a response they will probably give up or move on to someone else.
3. Don't talk to strangers. Be careful when the subject says they are taking a survey. If you have any concern about the legitimacy of a survey, ask the person their name, firm or university name, and telephone number. Say that you will reply after you verify the authenticity of the survey.
4. Don't play detective. Don't extend the communication trying to figure out who the subject is. This or any type of reaction is exactly what the caller wants and needs.
5. Keep cool. Don't let the subject know you are upset or angry.
6. Don't try to be clever. A witty response may be interpreted as a sign of encouragement.
7. Don't try to be a counselor. The person sending the message may certainly need professional help, but they will only be encouraged by your concern and will continue the calls.
8. Don't tell everyone about your messages. Many messages of this type are actually made by friends, family members, even your closest girlfriend or boyfriend.
9. Report annoyance communication to the System Administrator and/or to the University Police. Report all threats against your physical safety to the police.

If you have received phone calls which served no purpose of legitimate communication, or if someone calls you with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm you (whether or not a conversation ensues), you are one of the estimated one million people subjected to this type of harassment every year. In the State of New York this type of activity constitutes the crime of Aggravated Harassment in the second degree and is classified as a class A Misdemeanor. Most of these calls are of the hang up variety; however, many are obscene or threatening.

Should you become the victim of the annoyance caller or if you wish to find out what can be done about this or any other crime, please contact University Police for more information.

Remember, however, if you get hang up calls on an answering machine or voice mail there may not have been any attempt to annoy you. Some people simply do not like to speak to machines.

Tips in handling annoyance telephone calls:

1. Hang up. As soon as you hear an obscenity, improper questions, or no response to your "hello?" - hang up!
2. Don't talk to strangers. Be careful when the subject says they are taking a survey. If you have any concern about the legitimacy of a survey, ask the person their name, firm or university name, and telephone number. Say that you will reply after you verify the authenticity of the survey.
3. Don't play detective. Don't extend the communication trying to figure out who the subject is. This or any type of reaction is exactly what the caller wants and needs.
4. Keep cool. Don't let the subject know you are upset or angry.
5. Don't panic when the phone rings. It may be just a wrong number.
6. Don't try to be clever. A witty response may be interpreted as a sign of encouragement.
7. Don't try to be a counselor. The person sending the message may certainly need professional help, but they will only be encouraged by your concern and will continue the calls.
8. Don't tell everyone about your calls. Many calls of this type are actually made by friends, family members, even your closest girlfriend or boyfriend.
9. Place ads with caution. When placing an ad in a newspaper, use a newspaper or post office box number if possible. If you must use your phone number, do not list your address. Annoyance callers are avid readers of the classified ads.
10. Never volunteer your number to an unknown caller. This is an invitation to call again. If your number is the wrong number, the caller does not need to know your number.
11. Report annoyance calls to the University Police Dept. Use the included phone call log to make a record of all annoyance calls. The information you record in this log will assist the police in stopping this activity.

Rape is defined as forced sexual intercourse with any person without consent. Force may involve physical violence, coercion, or threat of harm. This includes situations where the victim is drunk, drugged, asleep, unconscious, or for any reason unable to give consent. Basically, not saying yes. Rape can be committed by a stranger, an acquaintance, a friend, a date... by anyone.

Rape is the most prevalent, serious violent crime committed on college campuses. Date and acquaintance rape is more common than: 

• Alcoholism
• Heart Attacks
• Left-handedness

Thus, there is a high probability that you will, in some way, be affected by issues of rape before you leave college.

Reporting Rape

College students are more vulnerable to rape than any other age group. The developmental tasks associated with entering college tend to put college students at risk. Alcohol consumption only serves to accentuate these risks. Acquaintance rapes are likely to occur in off-campus apartments, fraternity houses and residence hall rooms. 

• 42% of the victims told no one about their assaults.
• Only 5% reported their rapes to the police.
• Only 5% sought help at rape crisis centers.

Without reporting, many sexual assault victims will not receive the assistance they need, assailants will not be brought to justice, and the number of campus rapes will continue to escalate.

Steps to take if you are raped

• Go to a safe place.
• To report the crime, notify the police immediately at 315.312.5555 or 911. 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.
• Call someone you trust and ask her or him to stay with you. Preserve all physical evidence of the assault. Do not shower, bathe, douche, or brush your teeth. Save all of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the assault and do not wash it. Place each item of clothing in a separate paper bag. Do not disturb anything in the area where the assault occurred.
• Go to a hospital emergency department. 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.
• If you suspect that you may have been given a rape drug, ask the hospital or clinic where you receive medical care to take a urine sample immediately.
• Write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of the assault, including physical description of the assailant.
• Talk with a counselor who is trained to assist rape survivors about the emotional and physical impacts of the assault. The college may accommodate a victim's request, on a case-by-case basis, to change an academic schedule or residence hall room in cases of an alleged sex offense. In addition, the college can help the survivor by confidential consultation with faculty for considerations of adjustments in assignments.

Sexual assault, including date/acquaintance rape and relationship violence is a serious crime in New York State. If you are a survivor of a sexual offense that occurred on campus, the University Police officer who takes your report will:

• Meet with you in a location where you will feel comfortable
• Not release your name to the press
• Will treat you and the case with sensitivity, respect, understanding and professionalism
• Assist you in arranging for medical care
• Assist you in contacting counseling and other resources in the community or on campus
• Fully investigate your case. You will be notified of the progress of the investigation and impending prosecution Be available to answer any question on the criminal process
• Consider your case seriously regardless of your gender

The University Police Department encourages the reporting of any sexual offense. National statistics indicate that rapists may repeat sexual predation until they are stopped by an arrest. Counseling speeds the healing process for survivors.

Avoiding unwanted sexual conduct

• Know your values and limits related to consensual sex and communicate them.
• Trust your instincts about situations and people.
• Be firm and assertive.
• Remember, silence is not consent. Say "no" loudly and repeatedly.
• Physically defend yourself to get out of a bad situation.
• Avoid illegal drugs. Alcohol and other drugs affect your judgment and control. Over 90% of sexual assault cases involve the use of alcohol on the part of one or both parties.
• Do not assume that if you are with a friend or an acquaintance, nothing bad will happen. In over 90% of cases of sexual assault, the survivor knew the assailant.
• Devise an action plan in advance in case you are in a situation of possible acquaintance rape.
• Remove yourself from the area at the first sign that you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
• Have a code word to use with friends to get you out of risky situations.

Requires that Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) include this information regarding an institution of higher education on its Registry.

Requires:

1. that the Department of Correctional Services, or hospital or local correctional facility in which a sex offender is confined, require that such sex offender complete a form notifying DCJS of his or her proposed address upon release and any institution of higher education at which the offender expects to be enrolled, attending or employed, and whether he or she expects to reside in a facility owned by the institution; and,
2. that a probation officer require that a supervised sex offender complete a form notifying DCJS of any change of address or any change of status in enrollment, attendance, employment or residence at any institution of higher education while under supervision.

Requires the court to obtain the name and address of any institution of higher education at which the offender expects to be employed, enrolled or attending and whether the offender expects to reside in a facility owned or operated by that institution.

Requires a sex offender released from a correctional facility to provide the name and address of any institution of higher education the offender expects to be employed by, enrolled at or attending and whether the offender expects to reside in a facility owned or operated by that institution.

Set forth the notification procedures whenever a sex offender has indicated to DCJS that he or she will be enrolled in, attending or employed at an institution of higher education. DCJS will notify each law enforcement agency having jurisdiction.