Get out. Get to a safe place. Report the incident. Seek medical attention. This is the advice Meri Odell, Director of Police Administration at the University Police Department, gives to students who have been sexually assaulted.
“Of course we want you to call the police so we have the opportunity to keep this from happening to another, but it is up to the victim to report or not,” Odell said. “Talk to someone you trust to help you seek medical attention and the police.”
Odell said a victim should not change clothes or take a shower after being sexually assaulted, but to take a change of clothes when going to seek medical care or the police. If a criminal report is filed, UPD will assign a detective to talk with the victim.
“All university and local resources will be made available to the victim,” Odell said. “The case will be developed by interviewing those involved and any witnesses and then presented to the Randall County District Attorney’s office for review. Victim assistance and Title IX information will be provided, and the victim will be kept abreast of their case either by the Victim Assistance Coordinator, which is me, or the detective.”
According to Becky Lopez, Title IX Coordinator at WT, one does not have to be a victim to report an incident. A witness to any event has the power to report. At the same time, an individual can simultaneously pursue both a criminal and Title IX complaint. Title IX complaints are filed in various ways.
If UPD is notified of a sexual assault, they notify Lopez in order to refrain from putting the student through multiple questionings. The university also has mandatory reporters, or employees who are required to report incidents that are reported to them by students. Mandatory reporters include Resident Assistants, faculty and staff.
“While a student cannot be ‘forced’ to file a complaint, once we receive a notice, we are required to investigate,” Lopez said.
Lopez said it is also important for students to know they do not immediately have to file a report.
“Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for a person to process what has occurred to them before they can share it with another person,” she said. “Sexual assaults do not just occur to females. Men get assaulted too, and they should not be embarrassed to contact someone for help.”
Assistance is provided to the victim through Counseling Services, Medical Services and Academic and Residential Life to ensure safety.
Students currently enrolled in at least one class are eligible for counseling services, which are confidential.
“We can assist students with emotionally processing the event,” Leann Gabel, Professional Counselor at Student Counseling Services, said. “Sexual assault is a traumatizing event that leaves victims feeling emotionally unstable. We provide a safe, supportive and confidential environment for students to sort through feelings and regain a sense of emotional stability.”
Counseling Services also monitors and provides treatment for any symptoms related to post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. They assist in creating safety plans so survivors can feel more secure in their surroundings, and they teach assertiveness skills to help students avoid future situations that could place them at risk of being sexually assaulted.
“[We also] help students get in contact with other important resources,” Gabel said.
During the investigation, Lopez works with Student Affairs to ensure the respondent and claimant are immediately separated, if they are acquaintances and share classes or residence halls, in order to avoid any additional attempts. If the respondent is unknown, authorities make every attempt to identify him/her.
The process of the Title IX investigation mirrors that of a criminal investigation. Once the Title IX Coordinator is notified, a trained investigator is assigned to conduct interviews and review any gathered evidence. The investigator interviews the parties involved and any witnesses to the event.
“Once the investigation is completed, the investigator [submits] a report to the coordinator, who then reviews the report,” Lopez said.
The final report shows a standard of proof, which is required in order to determine that a student has violated the Code of Student Life. Letters of the outcome are sent to both parties, the Vice President of Student Affairs and the University President.
If a student has been sexually assaulted or knows another student who has been sexually assaulted, call 911, contact UPD at 806-651-3200 or seek help from someone the victim trusts.
