What Should You Do?

If you experience sexual violence, your first priority is to get to a safe location. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you are unsure about reporting to law enforcement. Medical professionals and trained support people can explain your options and help you access care, including a sexual assault exam.

To preserve evidence, avoid eating, drinking, urinating, bathing, showering, douching, brushing your teeth, or changing clothes. A sexual assault exam should be completed as soon as possible—ideally within 72 hours—to support both your health and evidence collection.

You do not need to decide whether to report the assault or press charges at the time of the exam. The exam preserves evidence should you choose to report later. Sexual assault exams also address important health concerns such as potential pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and internal injuries.

What Is Sexual Violence?

Sexual violence includes a continuum of conduct that includes sexual assault, non-forcible sex acts, dating and relationship violence, stalking, as well as aiding acts of sexual violence.

What Is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is an actual, attempted, or threatened sexual act with another person without that person’s consent. Sexual assault is often a criminal act that can be prosecuted under Minnesota law, as well as, form the basis for discipline under Minnesota State Colleges and Universities student conduct codes and employee disciplinary standards. It includes but is not limited to:

• Involvement without consent in any sexual act in which there is force, expressed or implied, or use of duress or deception upon the victim. Forced sexual intercourse is included in this definition, as are the acts commonly referred to as date rape or acquaintance rape. This definition also includes coercing, forcing, or attempting to coerce or force sexual intercourse or a sexual act on another.
• Involvement in any sexual act when the victim is unable to give consent.
• Intentional and unwelcome touching of a person’s intimate parts (defined as primary genital area, groin, inner thigh, buttocks, or breast); or coercing, forcing, or attempting to coerce or force another to touch a person’s intimate parts.
• Offensive sexual behavior that is directed at another, such as indecent exposure or voyeurism.

What Is Dating, Intimate Partner, and Relationship Violence?

Violence, including physical harm or abuse, and threats of physical harm or abuse, arising out of a personal intimate relationship. This violence also may be called domestic abuse or spousal/partner abuse and may be subject to criminal prosecution under Minnesota law.

What Is Stalking?

Stalking is conduct directed at a specific person that is unwanted, unwelcome, or unreciprocated and that would cause a reasonable person to fear for her or his safety or the safety of others or to suffer substantial emotional distress.

What Is Consent?

Consent is informed, freely given, and mutually understood willingness to participate in sexual activity that is expressed by clear, unambiguous, and affirmative words or actions. It is the responsibility of the person who wants to engage in sexual activity to ensure that the other person has consented to engage in the sexual activity. Consent must be present throughout the entire sexual activity and can be revoked at any time. If coercion, intimidation, threats, and/or physical force are used, there is no consent. If the complainant is mentally or physically incapacitated or impaired so that the complainant cannot understand the fact, nature, or extent of the sexual situation, there is no consent; this includes conditions due to alcohol or drug consumption, or being asleep or unconscious. A lack of protest, absence of resistance, or silence alone does not constitute consent, and past consent or sexual activities does not imply ongoing future consent. The existence of a dating relationship between the people involved or the existence of a past sexual relationship does not provoke the presence of, or otherwise provide the basis for, an assumption of consent. Whether the respondent has taken advantage of a position of influence over the complainant may be a factor in determining consent.

What are non-forcible sex acts?

Non‑forcible sex acts include unlawful sexual acts where consent is not relevant, such as sexual contact with an individual below the statutory age of consent under Minnesota law, or sexual acts between individuals who are related within degrees that prohibit marriage.

Help & Guidance

Support people are very important. Trained support people can explain and process options with you, as well as help you contact or navigate resources available to you. Not all support people have the same confidentiality levels. Support people will be able to keep your information confidential at differing levels. You should consider your confidentiality needs carefully.

The most confidential support person is one of the Violence Intervention Project’s (VIP) or Community Intervention Violence Center (CVIC) advocates. VIP and CVIC advocates have an ethical obligation to keep your information confidential. It is also important to know that these advocates cannot be subpoenaed by a court and required to disclose your information. Working with an advocate is an excellent decision.

Northland has a college counselor. Northland’s counselor has an ethical obligation to keep your information confidential — and is not required to report your information. It is a safe place to process and gather information. However, it is important to know that a counselor can be subpoenaed by the court system and required to disclose your information.

If you are not 18 years of age or there is a danger to the community, counselors and advocates may be required to report information but will do their best to ensure that your identity is not shared.

Any person other than an advocate or counselor is limited in their ability to keep your information confidential. Police, college administrators, and some employees may be required to report your information and/or take appropriate action. As much as possible, they will try to keep your identity private.

Additional Resources