If you have recently experienced a sexual assault:
Support is available. You are not alone.
Click to enlarge the infographic below or view the Accessible PDF.
- Call the Barnes Center’s Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at 315.443.8000 or Vera House at 315.468.3260 to confidentially discuss options and support services available.
- Try to preserve all physical evidence. Do not bathe, shower, drink, brush your teeth, wash your hands or change your clothes until you have a medical examination in the event there is any possibility that you want to make a police report now or sometime in the future. If you remove your clothing, place it in a paper bag to prevent deterioration of evidence.
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible after a sexual assault even if you choose not to have an examination to collect evidence. A healthcare professional can assess for any possible injuries, provide emergency contraception (if needed) and screen for sexually transmitted infections.
- An examination to collect evidence needs to be done at an area emergency department. There are specially trained nurses known as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) at all Syracuse emergency departments.
- Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and pregnancy are available by appointment at Syracuse University Health Services at 315.443.8000.
- Please know that you can still choose to have an exam done even if you have changed clothing, bathed, showered or douched. If you changed, take the clothing worn at the time of the assault to the hospital in a paper bag, as plastic may destroy important evidence.
- If you suspect that you might have been given a drug, testing is available through Health Services during their office hours, however, this testing cannot be used as evidence for criminal prosecution. If you are considering prosecution, a urine sample should be collected through a hospital emergency department.
If you would like to report the incident for criminal prosecution:
Contact the Department of Public Safety at 315.443.2224 or 711 from campus phones, #SU from cellular phones, or the Syracuse Police Department at 315.435.3016.
If you are not sure what to do and have questions, the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at the Barnes Center (on campus – 315.443.8000) and Vera House (off campus – 315.468.3260) are available to confidentially answer questions and discuss your reporting options.
If you would like to report the incident as a complaint for resolution through the student conduct system:
Contact Sheila Johnson-Willis, the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at 315.443.0211.
The Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at the Barnes Center (on campus) and Vera House (off campus) are also available to discuss your reporting options.
Learn more about Title IX Process options
Title IX Process Infographic- accessible PDF
If you are concerned about payment of medical expenses related to examination after a sexual assault, the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team can inform you of available financial assistance.
The aftermath of sexual violence can be emotional and difficult. As a survivor, self-care is a key part of the healing process. Listen to your emotions, intuition and instincts, and do not feel pressured to do anything beyond your level of comfort. Many survivors of sexual assault find it helpful to talk with a counselor while coping with the effects of trauma following an assault.