The pattern of abusive behavior used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner
includes; violence in the form of physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that
influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize,
coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone (US Dept. of Justice).
Dating violence means violence committed by a person:
• Who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and
• Based on the length, the type, and the frequency of the persons involved in the relationship.
Stalking means engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to:
• Fear for his or her safety or the safety of others; or
• Suffer substantial emotional distress.
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcomed advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of
a sexual nature. Examples of sexual harassment include unwanted, uninvited, unsolicited verbal or written contacts, stalking,
or leering with intention to harass, intimidate, threaten, retaliate or create conflict, including the use of electronic means of
communication.
Specifically, sexual harassment includes: Sexual advances or requests for sexual favors.
• Physical, verbal or nonverbal behavior that is sexual in nature or is hostile, demeaning, or intimidating.
• Sexual comments, jokes, or innuendoes.
• Purposely engaging in conduct directed at a specific person that seriously alarms, annoys, torments, or terrorizes the
person and serves no legitimate purpose.
Safety Tips
While you can never completely protect yourself from sexual assault, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National
Network) suggests the following to help reduce your risk of being assaulted.
I. Increasing On-Campus Safety:
The following tips may reduce your risk for many different types of crimes, including sexual violence.
•
Know your resources.
Who should you contact if you or a friend needs help? Where should you go? Locate
resources such as the campus health center, campus police station, and a local sexual assault service provider. Notice
where emergency phones are located on campus, and program the campus security number into your cell phone for
easy access.
•
Stay alert.
When you’re moving around on campus or in the surrounding neighborhood, be aware of your
surroundings. Consider inviting a friend to join you or asking campus security for an escort. If you’re alone, only use
headphones in one ear to stay aware of your surroundings.
•
Be careful about posting your location.
Many social media sites, like Facebook and Foursquare, use geolocation to
publicly share your location. Consider disabling this function and reviewing other social media settings.
•
Make others earn your trust.
A college environment can foster a false sense of security. They may feel like fast
friends, but give people time earn your trust before relying on them.
•
Think about Plan B.
Spend some time thinking about back-up plans for potentially sticky situations. If your phone
dies, do you have a few numbers memorized to get help? Do you have emergency cash in case you can’t use a credit
card? Do you have the address to your dorm or college memorized? If you drive, is there a spare key hidden, gas in
your car, and a set of jumper cables?
•
Be secure.
Lock your door and windows when you’re asleep and when you leave the room. If people constantly prop
open the main door to the dorm or apartment, tell security or a trusted authority figure.
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