If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org
As a way to close out our Sexual Assault Awareness week at Bradley University’s Her Campus chapter, I wanted to mention some resources that are provided on campus. I want to disclose that I will be addressing every resource I am personally aware of, as well as what I found when looking into them further. That being said, some of what is mentioned is going to be may not be the best source to turn to since it’ll be using the wrong terminology, and I will make sure to be very honest about that. It’s important to note all resources available while also ensuring the validity of them are mentioned.
It is also crucial to note that you are not expected to reach out if you’re not comfortable with coming forward about what you’ve survived. This is a list solely meant to provide education about what resources are offered at Bradley University. You should move at your own pace to ensure you’re okay and comfortable. If you know someone that has dealt with something like sexual assault, please reach out to them with resources. However, make sure to be there for them as a support system. Sometimes the most important thing someone can have is a support system.
The Student Support Services Office
Just as the name implies, the Student Support Services is meant to assist students when they’re in need of some guidance. They market themselves as being for academic and personal goals, but you can also go there when you’ve experienced anything that falls under the Title IX policies at Bradley University. This should be your first point of contact if your intention is to file a report on record with Bradley University. It is not necessary to file a report with them, but if that is something you want to do, make sure to reach out to the Student Support Services office. The main staff that you should reach out to is Anne Hollis, who is the Executive Director of the office, as well as Deputy Title IX Coordinator. You can find her office at Sisson 101.
Title IX Office
After you reach out to the Student Support Services Office, they can help direct you to the Title IX Office if you would like to continue to pursue the report you provided. However, you do not have to always go through the Student Support Services to get to the Title IX office. If you’re just looking for someone to talk to about what you survived and you want to receive more general resources about how to continue after what happened, the women in this office can assist you. The office is located in Bradley Hall on the second floor in room 226B and you can find our Title IX coordinator Joselyn Watkins.
Title IX Policies
If you’re looking for a more general source about Title IX as a whole, Bradley offers a website that has multiple links to other sites with the Title IX policies on campus. They include the following: Statement on Discrimination, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, and Title IX. The sexual assault page itself goes into the Bradley Handbook and how sexual assault goes against it, as well as what Bradley defines as being sexual assault. It also goes on to talk about who you can reach out to about your experiences. The site also links to their “Student Guide on Sexual Misconduct” which I will touch on next. The sexual harassment site does not go into as much detail about ways to contact those on campus with what you’ve been through, but it does offer information about what sexual harassment is defined as being, as well examples and protections that can be done. The Title IX page goes into what the actual Title IX law is, talking in depth about what the amendment protects you against. There is more information about Jocelyn Watkins on this page, and an acknowledgement of who else you can contact. However, if you need contact information from one of the sites, go back to the sexual assault website.
Student Guide on Sexual Misconduct
If you’re unaware, as most Bradley students are, Bradley has a brochure that is provided to those on campus regarding sexual misconduct. The reason I say most people don’t know is because Bradley makes a point to hide it from the average student that is looking to find it. If you don’t know that it exists, you can’t just search for it, and there is no advertisement to find it anywhere. You have to either know someone with the link, or know to look on the sexual assault website that I previously talked about in order to find it. However, when you do find it, it is not the best source to turn to. The wording is very “victim” centered, rather than being “survivor” centered and there is a lot of information about how the attacker is innocent until proven guilty. There is an entire two pages dedicated to “reducing the risk” of victimization, as if it’s controllable. Next to that column about protecting yourself from being put in that position, there is a column that goes in depth about how to “reduce the risk of being accused of sexual misconduct.” I can go on and on about how much I hate the brochure, but there is some valuable information in it that can help someone that needs it. I just want to ensure that everyone is also aware of how tasteless it is along the way.
Overall, there are quite a few resources at Bradley University for those that survived sexual assault on campus. Although not all of their information is easy to navigate, nor full of all the information you may need, these are not entirely bad. From what I’ve met of the people in the Student Support and the Title IX office, they all seem to know what they’re doing and have a grasp on how important this is, so they should be able to provide you with whatever you need. You can also always go to the free counseling on campus, which is located in the basement of Markin. It’s important to remember that you’re never alone, and there is no pressure to talk about what you’ve been through if you’re not comfortable. No matter what, you are loved and you are worthy of great things.