Recommendations on What to do If You or Someone You Know Has Been Sexually Assaulted
The following recommendations should be read in conjunction with the BOG GOVERNANCE RULE 1.6: RULE REGARDING DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, DOMESTIC MISCONDUCT, STALKING, RETALIATION, AND RELATIONSHIPS.
West Virginia University-Potomac State College (PSC) is committed to providing its students with a campus environment free of harassment, including sexual misconduct.
What If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted?
1. Get Help! This is not the time to be alone. Contact someone you can talk to, no matter how late at night or early in the morning it is.
2. Get medical attention. Any student who feels he/she has been sexually assaulted should call 911, go to the Emergency Room at Potomac Valley Hospital, or go to PSC’s Student Health Center (M-F, 8:30 AM -5:00 PM), for medical attention.
Note: All victims of sexual assault have a right to have a sexual assault forensic examination (SAFE) kit collected after an assault to preserve any evidence. A specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) administers the exam. You do not need to file a Police report to get a SAFE kit.
SAFE kits can only be completed within 96 hours of the sexual assault, and emergency contraception is only effective if taken within 72 hours of the assault.
The SAFE kit is free for enrolled WVU students at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV, and-at the patient’s discretion includes: emergency contraception, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, other need medical care. A WVU Peer Advocate can provide information and support for WVU students during their SAFE kit exam. For more information or if you cannot find a ride to Morgantown, please call or text the WVU Peer Advocate at 304-906-9930.
SAFE kits are also available at Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser, WV, and at Western Maryland Hospital, in Cumberland, MD, for a fee. University Police may transport the victim to the local hospital for medical attention. If the victim does not want to contact the Police, a friend or relative should transport the student to the hospital.
When the victim arrives at the local emergency room, they will offer to call the Family Crisis Center to arrange for a volunteer advocate to accompany the victim throughout the exam, if she/he chooses.
To facilitate evidence collection the victim:
• Should not bathe or douche
• Should not eat or brush their teeth if oral contact has occurred
• Should place soiled clothing in a paper bag (plastic bags destroy crucial evidence) to be taken to the emergency room or police department
SAFE kits can only be completed within 96 hours of the sexual assault, and emergency contraception is only effective if taken within 72 hours of the assault.
Medical attention is crucial for assessing internal injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, and possible pregnancy.
Follow-up medical and counseling services can be arranged through PSC’s Student Health Center at (304)788-6913.
3. Report the assault to the Police and/or College officials, whether or not you plan to file charges. (Reporting a rape does NOT commit you to filing charges. You can make that decision later.) Have someone go with you. You can go the next day, but the sooner the better. Sexual assault is a crime and we encourage all victims to report. The College also wants to prevent this from happening again.
Victims and/or witnesses are encouraged to report the assault to the WVU Title IX Coordinator:
Mr. James Goins
Title IX Coordinator
Equity Assurance Office
WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
1085 Van Voorhis Road, Suite 250
Suncrest Center
P.O. Box 6202
Morgantown, WV 26506-6202
Phone: 304-293-5600
Fax: 304-293-8279
Email: james.goins@mail.wvu.edu
PSC’s Social Justice Liaison is
Ms. Catie Bridges
Sociology Assistant Professor
WVU-Potomac State College
Administration Building Room 117
Phone: 304-788-7136
Email: MCSnider@mail.wvu.edu
If the assault takes place off campus, students and/or victims should call 911 to contact the Keyser Police, Mineral County Sheriff’s Department or WV State Police. In addition, the victim should notify the University Police and WVU’s Title IX Coordinator.
4. Consider whether you want to file a complaint with the Police and /or through PSC’s Student Conduct Office. The following is a list of contacts if you wish to do so or if you have questions:
WVU's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 304-293-5600
WVU’s Peer Advocate Program (Anonymous) 24-Hour Free Confidential Hotline/Text line: 304-906-9930
University Police: 304-788-4106 or 911
PSC’s Student Conduct Office: 304-788-6910
PSC’s Dean of Students: 304-788-6843
PSC’s Social Justice Liaison: 304-788-7136
Mineral County Sheriff’s Office: 304-788-0441 or 911
WV State Police: 304-788-1101 or 911
5. Local and College Support Services and Personnel Include:
WVU’s Peer Advocate Program (Anonymous) 24-Hour Free Confidential Hotline/Text line: 304-906-9930
PSC’s Counselor: 304-788-6976
PSC Student Health Services: 304-788-6913
Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center: 304-292-5100 (Hotline 24-hour advocacy)
Mineral County Health Department: 304-788-1321
Western Maryland Health System: 240-964-7000
Family Crisis Center-Keyser, WV: 304-788-6061
Family Crisis Resource Center-Cumberland, MD: 301-759-9244
6. Policies and Laws Relating to Sexual Misconduct:
WV Laws Related to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
7. The College Investigation and the College Conduct Process:
You do not have to file a police report in order for the PSC student conduct process to be implemented however; it is very helpful to the Student Conduct Board if you participate in the conduct process. Persons who have questions about the student conduct process are encouraged to meet with either Student Conduct personnel located in the University Police Duplex or with the Dean of Students in the Student Life office located in room 104 of the Administration Building.
Report the sexual assault to the WVU Title IX Office to begin an internal investigation and access temporary accommodations by calling 304-293-5600. Sexual misconduct is prohibited by WVU, and students found “responsible” will be subject to sanctions from the university, including suspension or expulsion. Once the Title IX Coordinator receives a report about a sexual assault, he will ask you to meet with an investigator to discuss the details of the assault and the possibility of temporary protective actions.
Temporary protection actions may include: prohibiting the alleged perpetrator from contacting you, moving the alleged perpetrator or you to a different residence hall, changing class schedules for the alleged perpetrator or you so that you do not have to be in the same classroom, providing you with an escort between classes and activities, providing you with academic support services, such as tutoring, and helping you with your academic record, and providing you with counseling services.
If the Title IX investigator concludes there is sufficient information to move forward in an investigation, she or he will issue a Notice of Complaint to the alleged perpetrator, including the alleged violation, your name, a notice of student rights, and a warning against retaliation. The victim is sent a copy at the same time. The alleged perpetrator may respond in writing and you have a right to receive a copy of this response. The Title IX Coordinator may send the case to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities to schedule a hearing.
During the student conduct hearing, the University acts as a neutral party presenting evidence to the Student Conduct Board. Both you and the alleged perpetrator have the right to present testimony, evidence, and witnesses. Both you and the alleged perpetrator have the right to have a representative during the hearing. The representative may be an attorney who may participate in the hearing. Please note, the College does not pay for either attorney and the attorney must be licensed in the state of West Virginia.
Students involved in sexual misconduct hearings may contact the WVU College of Law Clinic at 304-293-7249 for free legal advice.
When the Conduct Board meets, the victim or the alleged perpetrator can request that they remain separated from the other during the process. Accommodations may include: setting up a temporary divider between the victim and the accused, and/or by permitting participation by videophone, SKYPE, video conferencing, or other means, as determined in the sole judgment of the Dean of Students or his/her designee to be appropriate. The Judiciary Panel will first determine whether or not the alleged perpetrator is “responsible” or “not responsible” for each violation listed in the complaint (victim) then determine an appropriate sanction for any violation.
8. Useful WVU Resources:
WVU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
304-293-5600
WVU’s Peer Advocate Program (Anonymous) 24-Hour Free Confidential Hotline/Text line
304-906-9930
WellWVU
WVU Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
304-293-5590