The Student Health Center is taking steps to help sexual assault victims. The center is offering a new program for sexual assault survivors this semester. The Sexual Assault Nursing Examiner program is a free, confidential service for sexual assault victims seeking medical treatment from a specially trained nurse. Ashley Granger, wellness education coordinator, said the nurse records the students’ medical histories to ensure the treatment the nurse performs will be safe. The center also gives students the option to have a forensic evaluation or contact authorities to file charges. In the forensic evaluation, students are screened and treated for HIV and sexually-transmitted diseases. Mendy Escudier, Student Health Center nurse, said students have seven days to decide if they want to have forensic evidence collected and 30 days to decide if they want to report to authorities. “Obviously, it’s best to come as soon as you can – before you shower, before you urinate,” Escudier said. The nurse works in conjunction with Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocate, who assists students with counseling, legal advice, housing relocation options and academic services. “We just want to educate our students on their rights and what services are available to them,” Granger said. Registered nurses, who are in good standing, must complete a comprehensive 40-hour training program before they can perform forensic evaluations on students. Wanda Pezant, state SANE coordinator, introduced the program to the University. The program originally started at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, and the University is the first in Louisiana to offer the program to students. “I think it’s an important program for the capital city to have and pivotal for the campus to have because the students are a high-risk group [for sexual assault],” Pezant said Escudier said many students do not report sexual assault incidents. “Eighty-one percent on-campus and 84 percent of off-campus sexual assaults in institutions of higher learning, like LSU, are not reported to the police because it’s a shame-based crime,” Escudier said. “So many guys and girls feel like it’s their fault, and it’s not.”
—–Contacct Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]