If you are the victim of sexual assault some or all of these safety suggestions may guide you after an incident has occurred:
Go to a safe place and speak with someone you trust. Tell this person what happened.
Call 911 or call Campus Police at 903-675-6235 if you are on campus, or call 911 if you are off campus.
Consider securing immediate professional support (e.g.: counseling, victim advocacy, medical services, etc.) to assist you in the crisis.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, you will benefit from counseling services. There are counseling personnel on the Athens campus that can assist students free of charge. These are both confidential resources.
For your safety and well-being, immediate medical attention is encouraged.
Further, being examined as soon as possible, ideally within 120 hours, is important in the case of rape or sexual assault.
The hospital will arrange for a specific medical examination at no charge.
To preserve evidence, it is recommended that you do not bathe, shower, douche, eat, drink, smoke, brush your teeth, urinate, defecate, or change clothes before receiving medical attention.
Even if you have already taken any of these actions, you are still encouraged to have prompt medical care, and evidence may still be recoverable.
Typically, if police are involved or will be involved, they will obtain evidence from the scene, and it is best to leave things undisturbed until their arrival.
Even if the police become involved, this does not mean that criminal charges will be filed. The decision to file criminal charges rests with you.
They will gather bedding, linens or unlaundered clothing, and any other pertinent articles that may be used for evidence.
It is best to allow police to secure items in evidence containers, but if you are involved in the transportation of items of evidence, such as to the hospital, secure them in a clean paper bag or clean sheet, to avoid contamination.
If you have physical injuries, photograph or have them photographed, with a date stamp on the photo.
Record the names of any witnesses and their contact information.
This information may be helpful in obtaining an order of protection or to prove a campus policy violation.
If you have time and the ability to do so, try to memorize details (physical description, names, license plate number, car description,) and write notes to remind you of specifics.
If you obtain external orders of protection (e.g. restraining orders, injunctions, protection from abuse), please notify Campus Police and the campus Title IX Coordinator so that those orders can be observed on campus.
Contact the Campus Police at 903-675-6235 located in the Math/Journalism Building, Student Judicial Office 903-675-6256 located in the Administration Building suite AD127, or the Director of Human Resources 903-675-6215 located in the Administration Building suite AD 214 if you need assistance with Trinity Valley Community College-related concerns, such as no-contact orders or other protective measures.
The Campus Police, Director of Human Resources, and Counselor will also assist in any needed advocacy for students who wish to obtain protective or restraining orders from local authorities. The College can offer reasonable academic accommodations, changes to living arrangements, transportation accommodations, escorts, campus no-contact orders, counseling services access, and other supports and resources as needed by a victim.
College Resources
Administrative penalties for offenses including domestic violence and dating violence, and sanctions range from warnings to expulsion. Serious and violent incidents and acts of non-consensual sexual intercourse (the policy equivalent to the crime of sexual assault) usually result in suspension, expulsion, or termination of employment. This policy can be found online.
Procedurally, when the College receives a report of sexual misconduct, gender-based violence, or other sex or gender discrimination the campus Title IX Coordinator is notified. If the victim wishes to access local community agencies and/or law enforcement for support, the College will assist the victim in making these contacts.
Contact the Campus Police at 903-675-6235 located in the Student Union building suite 103, Student Judicial office 903-675-6256 located in the Administration building suite AD127, or the Director of Human Resources 903-675-6215 located in the Administration building suite AD 214 if you need assistance with Trinity Valley Community College-related concerns, such as no-contact orders or other protective measures. The Campus Police, Director of Human Resources, and Councilor will also assist in any needed advocacy for students who wish to obtain protective or restraining orders from local authorities. The College can offer reasonable academic accommodations, changes to living arrangements, transportation accommodations, escorts, no contact orders, counseling services access, and other supports and resources as needed by a victim.
The Title IX Coordinator will offer assistance to victims in the form of interim or long-term measures such as opportunities for academic accommodations, changes in housing for the victim or the responding student, visa and immigration assistance, changes in working situations, and other assistance as may be appropriate and available on campus or in the community (such as no contact orders, campus escorts, transportation assistance, targeted interventions, etc).
If the victim so desires, they will be connected with a counselor on- or off-campus, as well as an on- or off-campus victim’s advocate. No victim is required to take advantage of these services and resources, but the College provides them in the hopes of offering help and support without condition or qualification. A summary of rights, options, supports, and procedures, in the form of this document, is provided to all victims, whether they are students, employees, guests, or visitors.
When appropriate upon receipt of notice, the Title IX Coordinator will cause a prompt, fair, and impartial process to be initiated, commencing with an investigation that may lead to the imposition of sanctions, based upon a preponderance of evidence (what is more likely than not), upon a responding student or other accused individual.
The investigation and records of the resolution conducted by the College are maintained confidentially. Information is shared internally between administrators who need to know. Where information must be shared to permit the investigation to move forward, the person bringing the accusation will be informed.
Privacy of the records specific to the investigation is maintained per Texas law and the federal FERPA statute. Any public release of information to comply with the open crime logs or timely warning provisions of the Clery Act will not release the names of victims or information that could easily lead to a victim’s identification. Additionally, the College maintains privacy concerning any accommodations or protective measures afforded to a victim, except to the extent necessary to provide the accommodations and/or protective measures.
In any complaint of sexual misconduct, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, or other sex or gender-based discrimination covered under the federal law, Title IX, the person bringing the accusation and the responding party are entitled to the same opportunities for a support person or advisor of their choice throughout the process, including any meeting, conference, hearing or other procedural action. Once complete, the parties will be informed, in writing, of the outcome, including the finding, the sanctions (if any), and the rationale therefore. Delivery of this outcome to the parties will occur without undue delay between notifications. All parties will be informed of the College appeal processes, and their rights to exercise a request for appeal. Should any change in outcome occur before finalization, all parties will be timely informed in writing and will be notified when the results of the resolution process become final.