San Marcos,
20
March
2015
|
18:25 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Timely Warning - UPD Cautions Students about Rape Facilitated by Drugs and/or Alcohol

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The California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) police department has issued the following bulletin to advise of an incident that concerns the safety of the university community. Please take all necessary precautions.

The University Police Department (UPD) is investigating an alleged sexual assault of a female resident in university housing by a non-student guest known to the victim. The University Police are actively investigating this incident. The incident occurred sometime during the week of March 2, 2015. The incident was reported to the University Police Department on Friday, March 20, 2015. To protect yourself please be mindful of who you allow into your residence, and where they are allowed to go within the residence. Look out for the safety of your roommates and other members of your community by reporting suspicious behavior.

If you have any information that might be helpful in this investigation please contact University Police at (760) 750-4567 or the University’s SAFE hotline at 760-750-SAFE. If you wish, you may report anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers (888) 580-8477.

Prevention tips:

  1. No Means No and Yes Means Yes. A person who is intoxicated cannot give consent. Alcohol contributes to sexual assault through multiple pathways, often exacerbating existing risk factors to include beliefs about alcohol’s effects on sexual and aggressive behavior, stereotypes about drinking women, and alcohol’s effects on cognitive and motor skills.
  2. To protect yourself please be mindful of who you allow into to your residence, and where they are allowed to go within the residence. Look out for the safety of your roommates and other members of your community by reporting suspicious behavior.
  3. When you go to a social gathering, go with a group of friends. Arrive together, check in with each other throughout the evening, and leave together. Knowing where you are and who is around you may help you to find a way out of a bad situation.
  4. Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe in any situation, go with your gut. If you see a situation in which a person may be assault, contact law enforcement immediately by dialing 911.
  5. Don’t be part of the problem. Having any type of sexual activity with an intoxicated person, can result in your arrest.
  6. Be part of the solution. If you see a behavior that you know will likely lead to a drug or alcohol related sexual assault, speak up, take action, be part of the solution.

Find additional safety and prevention tips at www.rainn.org. RAINN – “Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network”

CONFIDENTIAL SUPPORT: Victims of any form of sexual harassment or assault are strongly encouraged to seek confidential support at CSUSM’s Student Health and Counseling Center, located in Chavez Circle at the intersection of Campus Way and Campus View Drive, (760) 750-4915; office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 4:45 pm. Off campus, The Center for Community Solutions offers a 24-Hour toll free County-wide crisis line for crisis intervention and information referrals related to sexual assault in San Diego at 1-888-385-4657 (FREE). More information is available at http://www.ccssd.org/. Reporting to a confidential counselor or sexual assault advocate WILL NOT RESULT IN A REPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE UNIVERSITY. These counseling professionals are required by law to keep your identity and information confidential.

REPORTING TO THE UNIVERSITY: We also encourage victims and witnesses to report sexual misconduct to the university’s Title IX Coordinator, who can help provide resources, support and remedies, as well as determine whether the university needs to take further action to make victims, witnesses, and the rest of the campus community safe, as well as take steps to prevent a reoccurrence and eliminate sexual misconduct.

Please contact Dr. Bridget Blanshan, CSUSM Title IX Coordinator: (760) 750-4056 or http://www.csusm.edu/title9/.

Information about Victim Rights and Options can also be found on the university’s Title IX website: http://www.csusm.edu/title9/.