Students are encouraged to go to the ER and be examined by a doctor or nurse if they are sexually assaulted.

By Alicia Seewald (Whetstone staff writer)

There is one reported sexual assault each year in or around Wesley campus, college statistics show.

However, 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported nationally, said Walter Beaupre, head of safety and security.

“I don’t understand why people wouldn’t report it,” senior Emily Ennis said. “They need to report it. They should get a rape kit from the nurse to have evidence and go to the police. I mean, if it was a friend, obviously they aren’t your friend. Friends don’t hurt each other.”

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 70 percent of rape and sexual assault crimes committed against women are by someone they know.� More than 25 percent of assailants are reported to be a family member of the victim.

Pandora’s Project, a support and resource center for rape victims, gives steps to take if one is raped. These include not to shower, remove clothing, brush your teeth, wash your hands or urinate. Get to a hospital for injury treatment and obtain a rape kit. Report the incident to the police.

It is suggested on their Web site to call 911.

Students say they have a right to know if a rape or sexual assault occurs on campus.

“We live here and we have a right to know,” senior Myles Miller said. “It’s like if someone was raped in the same house. We should know if there was a rape and if the subject was apprehended or not.”

If a traumatic incident like this occurs around campus and it is reported, an alert goes out to Wesley students, but only if the offender is not identified or if the person hasn’t been arrested, Beaupre said.

Text messages are sent to the Wesley community’s cell phones.

“We provide detailed information of the crime on the Wesley College Web site under the heading ‘Security Alert,’” Beaupre said. “Additionally, any time a crime occurs on campus we report it in the crime log.”

The crime log is available for students to view any time in the security office.

To protect yourself from becoming a victim, Beaupre said it is important to stay aware and to listen to your instincts.

“If you feel uneasy or unsure in any way, it is in your best interest to get away and get help,” he said. “Use common sense. Don’t jog with your iPod because attackers are looking for an easy, distracted victim. Carry defensive items only if you know how to use them. Anything that could hurt a potential attacker can also be used against you.”

It is important to yell, shout, fight and do anything that would draw attention to you, he said. This can also disrupt the attackers plan and give you a better chance of breaking free.

Also it is important to be careful at parties and bars.

“Don’t drink anything that somebody gives you,” Beaupre said. “Always open and order your own drinks. Never, ever leave a drink unattended. Keep your hand over the top of your drink. Do not accept a drink from a date unless the bartender or wait-staff have delivered it straight to you.”

If you don’t want to be rude, take the drink with you when you go to the restroom and dump it out. It is important to tell people where you are going and not to leave anyone in your group with someone you feel uneasy about.

“People shouldn’t be afraid of reporting when they have been raped,” Ennis said. “Especially when they are on campus. If you don’t say anything, the rapist wins. Keeping it to yourself is the worst thing you can do and it will just be relived.”

Security strongly recommends that if you are ever the victim of sexual assault, do not wash or change your clothes. Go to the emergency room and be examined by a doctor or nurse.