Stalking, sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct can be disruptive to the academic and personal lives of survivors, but there are several campus organizations to assist students in dealing with the aftermath of such cases.
LSU Cares is an initiative that expedites the student and faculty reports of concerns ranging from sexual misconduct and hazing to students who appear to be in distress and may need assistance.
“Any time a student is concerned about a situation or another student or something they may be going through, please try to report that.” Student Advocacy & Accountability coordinator Eddie St. Vil said. “If you don’t know where to start, try to start here. We can connect students with all our campus partners and community partners.”
One such partner, the LSU Student Health Center’s Lighthouse Program, offers free resources and assistance to students regardless of their gender or orientation.
“We support survivors of all types of interpersonal violence.” said Health Promotion Coordinator Seirra Fowler. “Sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, harassment.”
Students who approach the Lighthouse Program are invited to confidentially discuss their situation with a staff member, who then assesses what relevant organizations and resources may be of assistance.
This can include emotional support, legal aid such as help filing a police report, collecting physical evidence of sexual assault and help relocating their residence. Survivors may be referred to organizations like the Baton Rouge Iris Domestic Violence Center, which supported 3,395 men and women during 2015.
Academic accommodations are available to minimize stress and help reduce the effect of the experience on a survivor’s education.
“We can get you registered for things like longer [time] on assignments, extended time on tests, taking a test in a distraction reduced environment.” Fowler said.
When working with the Lighthouse Program, survivors are not required to report what happened to law enforcement, allowing them to determine how they wish to proceed in handling their case.
“We really give them all the options available to them then let them make the decision,” Fowler said. “They were typically in a situation where they didn’t have an option or power to make their own decisions, so we really want to empower them to make the decisions about what’s best for them.”
Staff can also assist survivors in creating safety plans to maximize their protection and know what to do if they encounter their assailant, particularly in cases where the assailant is frequently on University grounds.
“Does this person know what classes you’re taking? If you see this person on campus, where are some safe places you can go? Who are some people you can call right away?” Fowler said.
The safety plans often recommend those with protective orders against their assailants keep a physical copy on hand at all times. This guards against police computer glitches or missing database entries which could mistakenly indicate to responding officers that no such order exists.
“If that person does approach you or see you, you can call [the police] and be able to furnish a copy of that report.” Fowler said.