What To Do If You Are Sexually Assaulted

If you are sexually assaulted, the Student Wellness Center encourages you to…

Get to a Safe Place

If you have been sexually assaulted your first concern should be for your own wellbeing.  Get to a safe place as soon as possible.
 

Report It

If you want to report a sexual assault to the police you need to do this as quickly as possible.  However, while prompt reporting is helpful, delays in reporting are common, and Lewis University has no explicit time
limit on reporting, as long as the accused student is still enrolled.
 
If an assault occurs off-campus, the local police in that jurisdiction should be notified. 

You should report a sexual assault by calling Campus Police at 815-836-5911 or 911.  You should report the assault even if you do not plan on pressing charges.  Reporting isn’t the same thing as prosecuting.  A decision to prosecute can be made later.
 
If you think you may report the assault now or even possibly at any time in the future, it is best if you are able to preserve any evidence that may have been left.  Do not bathe, shower, douche, brush your teeth, chew gum or eat or drink anything.  This is to preserve any biological evidence that could be collected.  You should also preserve physical evidence that might contain bodily fluids, this can include, the clothing you were wearing, bed linens, a discarded condom etc. 

SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE:

Your health is very important and you should seek medical aid as soon as possible.  Even if there are no obvious signs of physical injury, there is still the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. 
 
To seek medical assistance, the best idea is to contact Campus Police.   They can help arrange transportation to the closest hospital where trained hospital staff will best accommodate your needs.  If you feel that you may have been drugged it is extremely important to tell medical personnel this so that they can do appropriate testing. 

Get Support

You are not alone. There are many people and services available who want to help you on and off campus.   Following a sexual assault, you may experience some symptoms of trauma, which include sleep disturbances, eating pattern disturbances, mood swings, and feelings of humiliation or self-blame nightmares, anger, fear of intimacy, and difficulty in trusting others. If you do experience these symptoms, the best thing to do is to get some help.

On Campus:

The Student Wellness Center
Lower Level Mother Theresa Hall
(815) 836-5455

Off Campus:

1. Presence St. Joseph Medical Center
   Emergency Room Sexual Assault Team
   333 N. Madison St.
   Joliet, IL
   (815) 725-7133
2. Silver Cross Hospital
   1900 Silver Cross Blvd.
   New Lenox, IL 60451
   (815) 300-1100
3. Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital
   500 Remington Boulevard
   Bolingbrook, IL
   (630) 312-5000
4. Crisis Line of Will County
   (815) 722-3344
5. Groundwork
   (815) 729-1228
6. Sexual Assault Services Center
   (815)730-8984
7. Linden Oaks Hospital
   852 West Street
   Naperville, IL
   (800) 955-OAKS (6257)

Remember-It’s Not Your Fault

Sexual assault is never a victim's fault, regardless of what you were wearing, if you had said yes before, if you know the perpetrator(s) or if drugs or alcohol were involved. The University will extend limited immunity to victims who may have been in violation of University policy (underage drinking, for example) as it considers reporting of sexual assaults of paramount importance.  Limited immunity is also extended to others who report sexual misconduct or assist victims of sexual misconduct.

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