Counseling and Psychological Services offers professional counseling for students who have been sexually assaulted, experienced childhood sexual abuse, or who are experiencing sexual harassment.
Crisis intervention and individual counseling are available by calling 859-4340. If preferred, a referral can be made for off campus services.
Confidential and professional help is always available. The Counselor-On-Call from the Counseling Center is trained to coordinate services for victims of sexual assault, and can be reached after normal daytime hours and on weekends by calling Campus Safety at x4000. If indicated, the Counselor-On-Call will come to campus immediately.
In addition, the YWCA Rape Crisis Services are available and can be contacted by calling 797-7740 or extension x5000 from an on-campus phone. Rape Crisis volunteers are trained and available to talk with a victim by phone, accompany victims to the hospital or to the police. This is also a completely confidential service and is not connected to Hamilton College.
Medical attention should be sought as soon as possible. Not all injuries are immediately apparent. A medical examination is necessary to determine internal injuries, sexually transmitted disease, or pregnancy. The Student Health Service, x4111 is open during the day (M,T, TH, F 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and W 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). After hours students should go to a local hospital emergency room. Hamilton's EMTs may also be contacted for assistance at x4000.
For any major injuries as well as a rape examination, you are encouraged to go to the emergency room at the Oneida Healthcare Center. Oneida Healthcare utilizes Certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) who have a great deal of experience dealing with sexual assaults. The choice to go to a hospital is completely up to you. If you would like, a volunteer from the YWCA Rape Crisis Services will accompany and will assist in managing this process.
The rape examination allows evidence to be collected in case you wish to prosecute. The examination should be conducted within 72 hours of the incident and includes: pelvic examination and semen analysis, sexually transmissible disease testing, and treatment for possible infection, which may involve an antibiotic. Do not bathe, douche, or wash your clothes prior to the rape examination. You may wish to take a clean change of clothes with you. The evidence kit can be kept secure at the hospital for up to 30 days while you decide if you wish to prosecute or not. The police will be called only if you decide to prosecute.
The hospital will never refuse services, but they are required to bill your insurance company. Take your student I.D. card with you. The YWCA Rape Crisis Service can assist you through these procedures.
The New York State Crime Victims Board will reimburse medical expenses, counseling services, and damage to personal property if a survivor chooses to pursue criminal prosecution.
Campus Safety, x4000 is available 24 hours a day. You can file a report with Campus Safety. They can also call someone from the Counseling Center to assist you if you wish. New York State Law assures the privacy of sexual assault survivors — all contact with survivors of sexual assault is confidential. If you are female, you may ask that a female investigator be present while you file a report. The Counseling Center Staff will also assist you in making an anonymous report with Campus Safety if you choose to do so.
Give Campus Safety as much information as you can about the incident. The officer will need to know where and when the incident happened and whether you can identify the assailant. Campus Safety is obligated to notify the Police Department of all crimes in progress. Therefore, a police officer may come to interview you. If you are relating an incident that happened a few weeks or months ago, you also may choose to have the police involved.
If the assailant is a Hamilton College student, you are entitled to file a complaint with the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Board for disciplinary action against the assailant. This can be done in conjunction with criminal prosecution or instead of it.
Reporting the incident to the police involves several aspects. When the police respond to a call, a uniformed officer in a patrol car will go to the survivor's location. The survivor may request that a plainclothes officer respond. The officer may want to examine the scene of the crime and obtain evidence (clothes, sheets, etc.). The survivor will be asked to go to the police station where a statement can be taken and identification procedures begun. If the assailant is known to the survivor, the police will want to interview him and any witnesses to the incident. This is an automatic procedure. If you wish to press criminal charges against the assailant, physical evidence should be collected at the hospital within 72 hours of the incident. Based on the investigator's findings, the district attorney decides what charges will be brought against the defendant.
Throughout the case, the defendant's attorney and the district attorney will discuss the case. They may agree to a plea bargain, which means the defendant will plead guilty to a reduced charge. This does not mean the no one believes you. The court system is very congested and the system tries to move cases along as quickly as possible. If there is a plea bargain, you will most likely not have to go to court. You will be contacted by the district attorney and/or the probation department about whether you have bills for damaged personal property or medical expenses for which the defendant is responsible. The complete legal process is likely to take months. Be prepared for a wait that may be lengthy.
A Third Party Report can be filed with the police. This involves having a person other than the survivor make a report of all details of the assault to the police. It is important to note that no police action can be taken against the assailant with a Third Party Report. The report protects your anonymity, while still provides information that may help identify a multiple rapist. The survivor's name will not be given to or requested by the police.
Appointments can be made by calling the Counseling Center at 315-859-4340 or by stopping by the Counseling Center office on the second floor of the Health Center. Sue Hill, the Office Coordinator, can schedule an appointment for a student with any of the three professional therapists in the office.
