By Colleen Bunn, bunnc@miamioh.edu
Assistants are resources on campus for all students. They are highly trained to provide support and resources for a variety of reasons. In order to clarify and remind the community of the role of Residence Life staff in responding to Sexual Assault, we are providing a guide to response when a student discloses a Sexual Assault/Interpersonal Violence to a Residence Life staff member.
This response includes such disclosures as: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and/or Stalking.
Residence Life staff will maintain the highest amount of privacy they are able to provide under the safety and security guidelines set forth by the federal government through the Clery Act and Title IX.
When a student discloses to a Resident Assistant that a sexual assault and/or interpersonal violence has occurred, that Resident Assistant is required to share that information with their supervisor.
That supervisor will contact Miami University Police Department to report the incident. The victim/survivor retains the right to not pursue criminal charges or make a police report.
Miami University Police will inform Deputy Title IX Coordinator/Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Becca Getson, who will reach out to the victim/survivor with additional resources and information.
Students looking for confidential resources (not required to report to Title IX Coordinator/Deputy Coordinator or law enforcement) can access the following resources:
- Women Helping Women (rape crisis counselors) is available 24 hours a day at 513-381-5610 or toll-free at 877-889-5610
- Counselors at Student Counseling Service are available during normal business hours at 513-529-4634
- After hours emergencies can access counselors by calling the Miami University Police at 513-529-2222 or 911 and asking for the on-call counselor
- Medical staff at the Student Health Center are available during normal business hours at 513-529-3000
- Off-campus clergy, counselors and physicians, including McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital (513-523-2111), where a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is available 24 hours a day
The safety and security of all students and the community is paramount to Miami University. We encourage students who are victims/survivors of sexual assault and/or interpersonal violence to reach out to the resource they feel most comfortable with to receive the support they need. Please remember, no one is alone.