2022-2023 Student Handbook

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Sexual Assaults: Reporting a Rape or Sexual Assault

Report an incident of rape or sexual assault as soon as possible following the incident by calling the SAU Tech Campus Police at 870.818.6352 or 870.574.4517. Reporting to SAU Tech Campus Police can help:

  1. Protect the victim and others from future victimization;
  2. Apprehend the assailant; and
  3. Open options regarding criminal prosecution, action against the perpetrator, and College disciplinary action.

The victim should not shower, bathe, brush teeth, or change clothes after being assaulted in an effort to preserve vital evidence against the attacker.

When a victim reports a rape or sexual assault, a SAU Tech Campus Police officer will gather information from the victim concerning the specifics of the incident. These questions are necessary to obtain a description of the assailant, where the crime occurred, who may have been present, and other data pertinent to investigation and prosecution.

Reporting a rape or sexual assault and choosing to prosecute are two separate things. When the victim files a report, they are encouraged, but not obligated, to continue with legal proceedings or with College disciplinary action. After the report is filed, a rape or sexual assault victim is escorted to a local hospital for a medical examination. The medical examination is necessary to eliminate the possibility of venereal disease and other contagious diseases and obtain necessary lab specimens for prosecution.

The SAU Tech Campus Police report is important whether or not prosecution is desired. The SAU Tech Campus Police will also assist the victim in reporting a rape or sexual assault to the Camden Police Department, the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department, or to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department if the incident occurred in the jurisdiction of either of these agencies. If the victim chooses not to report rape or sexual assault to the police, it should be reported to the Dean of Enrollment Services/College Counselor. This can be done on a confidential basis. While reporting to the police is the best method for dealing with rape and sexual assault, it is essential that it be reported to someone so that at least support services can be provided to victims.