Sexual Violence

You do not have to make a report to receive medical care, counseling or safety accommodations.

If you have recently experienced unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault, support is available. You are not alone.

Help Now

• Call the Barnes Center’s Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at 315.443.8000 to confidentially discuss options and support services available to you.
• If you are in danger or require emergency services such as urgent medical care, call 911 or the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at 315.443.2224.

Medical Care

You may want to seek medical attention at a local hospital for physical injuries, sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and testing (even if they aren’t yet evident), emergency contraception, or to have evidence collected—even if you’re not sure whether you want to report.

Evidence Collection

You don’t have to decide right away whether you want to report what happened. But if there’s any possibility that you might want to in the future, preserving evidence can help. This can be done within 120 hours (five days) of the incident at a local hospital.

To help preserve evidence:

• Do not bathe, shower or douche.
• Avoid brushing your teeth, eating, drinking or smoking.
• Try not to change or wash the clothes you were wearing.
• If you’ve already changed clothes, place the original items in a paper bag (not plastic) and bring them with you.

If any of these steps have already happened—that’s OK. You can still seek care and have an exam.

Sexual Assault Nurse Exam (SANE)

Evidence is collected by specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) and are available 24/7 at all local Syracuse emergency rooms.

• Crouse Health: 736 Irving Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210
• Upstate University Hospital: 705 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210
• St. Joseph’s Health Hospital: 301 Prospect Ave., Syracuse, NY 13203

If you suspect that you may have been given a drug, ask for a urine sample to be collected.

Transportation

Syracuse University Medical Transport Services are available to transport students from on-campus locations to the Barnes Center at The Arch or a local hospital, then back to campus.

Financial Assistance

If you are concerned about payment of medical expenses related to examination after a sexual assault, the Barnes Center at The Arch health and wellness team can inform you of available financial assistance.

Academic and Housing Concerns

Case managers in Student Outreach and Support work to address the needs of students who are impacted by sexual assault, relationship violence and other forms of gender-related bias through a variety of interventions, referrals, advocacy and follow-up services. This can include and is not limited to extensions of deadlines or other course-related adjustments, modifications of work or class schedules, campus escort services, and changes in work or housing locations.

Student Outreach and Support can be contacted at 315.443.4357 or studentsupport@syr.edu.

Reporting Options

Should a student impacted by sexual assault, relationship violence, sexual harassment or stalking choose to disclose such behavior, as the reporter, you have the right to make a report to the Department of Public Safety, local law enforcement and/or state police, or choose not to report; to report the incident to your institution; to be protected by the institution from retaliation for reporting an incident; and to receive assistance and resources from your institution

All reporting options can be found on Student Title IX’s Report webpage.

Advocates (Off-Campus)

Victim Advocates at Vera House (off-campus) provide free, 24/7 support at hospitals and police stations throughout Onondaga County. If you go to the hospital or choose to report to the police, an advocate can meet you there to offer emotional support, help you understand your options and walk with you through the medical exam and/or reporting process. To contact an advocate, please contact their 24-hour support line at 315.468.3260.

Confidential Resources

A confidential resource is a university or community resource and those staff members who are neither required nor permitted to provide any information regarding an incident of discrimination, harassment and/or sexual misconduct to any outside party without the consent of the individual involved in the incident.  More specifically, these individuals will not provide any information about a reported incident to Student Title IX Case Management, Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services or any law enforcement agency without the student’s permission.

Please note, all other Syracuse University staff or faculty not listed below are Responsible Employees, and must disclose all information related to discrimination, harassment and/or sexual misconduct to Student Title IX Case Management.

On-Campus Resources

Barnes Center Counseling and Sexual and Relationship Violence Response (SRVR) Team

Available 24/7 by calling 315.443.8000. The SRVR team consists of members of the Counseling staff who are trained and have experience supporting survivors of sexual and relationship violence. Counseling staff members are a privileged resource and are not required to report any information, unless immediate danger is a concern. Members of Counseling staff and the SRVR team can assist by providing support in the following ways.

• May accompany a student to the Department of Public Safety should the student decide to report the incident.
• Review supportive measures such as obtaining no-contact orders, change of housing or course load/class schedule requests and short or long-term leaves of absence.
• Connect with support groups for survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence.
• Coordinate with other offices and services.
• Consult with members of the University community regarding ways to support individuals who have been impacted by sexual or relationship violence.
• Discuss and connect to medical evaluations and/or evidence collection as needed and/or desired.
• Help with safety planning.
• Provide emotional and psychological support through trauma informed counseling and services.

• Review legal and procedural information regarding reporting options to the university and/or law enforcement.

Barnes Center at The Arch, Healthcare

Available by calling 315.443.8000.  Members of the Barnes Center Health team can assist by providing the following services and support:

• Sexual health and physical exams and providing STI testing treatments, prophylaxis, and emergency contraceptives. Of note, Barnes Center Health providers do not collect evidence for reporting. This can be done within 120 hours by the sexual assault nurse examiner at a Syracuse area hospital.
• Coordinate with other offices and services.
• Provide referral to SRVR Team and Barnes Center Counseling.

Hendricks Chapel Chaplains

Available by calling 315.443.2901. Chaplains from various faiths and spiritual backgrounds are available to provide supportive services including:

• Faith-based Counseling.
• Coordinating with other offices and services.
• Providing referrals to SRVR Team and Barnes Center Counseling.
• Community Resources.

Off-Campus Confidential Resources

Vera House

Available by calling 315.468.3260. Members of the Vera House team are trained to provide support and advocacy services to survivors of sexual and relationship violence. Vera House staff provide the following services:

• Counseling.
• Advocacy
• Legal Support
• Shelter
• Review and support around the criminal reporting process

• Learn more on the Syracuse University Community Standards Consent webpage.
• Learn more on the New York State (NYS) Senate Article 130 of the NYS Penal Law webpage.

Got Consent? Be SU.R.E.

You can use the Got Consent: Be SU.R.E. campaign to ensure that you have consent throughout your entire sexual activity.

• Shared Understanding
• Respectful
• Enthusiastic

Remember

• The initiator is always responsible for getting consent, and it is possible that the initiator might change throughout the sexual interaction.
• Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create clear permission regarding willingness to engage in the sexual activity.
• Silence or lack of resistance, in and of itself, does not demonstrate consent.
• The definition of consent does not vary based upon a participant’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Develop skills to prevent sexual violence in your everyday life by becoming a prosocial bystander. Request a workshop today!

As new students join the Syracuse University community, they are required to participate in community wellness activities that build connection, promote community well-being and offer additional education surrounding health and wellness resources and programs.

Required activities include an interactive presentation called “Speak About It” and online training modules centered on sexual and relationship violence prevention and alcohol and other drugs.

Additionally, returning full-time students are required to complete annual sexual and relationship violence prevention training.

For more information, visit the Community Wellness Requirements webpage.

Learn more on the Student Title IX Case Management website.

Request a workshop through the Barnes Center Outreach Request Form.

Learn more on the Syracuse University Sexual Assault and Awareness Month webpage.

By recognizing, reporting and preventing bias-related incidents, we can foster an even more inclusive campus community where all members feel welcomed and supported. Additional information on this University wide initiative is available on the STOP Bias webpage.

Learn more on the Syracuse University Take Back The Night webpage.