The University will participate with 700 other universities in a nationwide campaign to promote a national sexual assault hotline backed by the Rape Awareness and Incest National Network.
“Get Carded” has committed to sending thousands of wallet-sized cards to universities to pass out to students Sept. 23, said Kelly Bevis, RAINN outreach coordinator.
“We wanted to find a way to reach universities because college-aged people are most likely to be sexually assaulted,” Bevis said. “Not everyone knows about the hotline or things they can do if they’re assaulted.”
She said sexual assault happens more than it is reported, but she thinks the cards will increase reports as people get educated on who they can contact or how to get help.
“National reporting has shown that reports have gone up significantly,” Bevis said. “Hotline calls are starting to top 10,000 per month. People are talking about it more as they understand they’re not alone.”
Kim Munro, a Wellness Education Center coordinator, said the University was the first in Louisiana to sign on to the campaign. She found out about the program through a RAINN newsletter.
“When I first contacted them, we anticipated needing 8,500 cards,” Munro said. “But we’ve had so many requests from people on campus that we’re up to 16,000 [cards].”
She said faculty, residence halls and the Wellness Center will participate in a campus-wide distribution to reach as many students as possible.
“We want to get most of these out to women because they are primarily targeted,” Munro said. “But we want to give them to men also. We don’t want to minimize who we get this information to.”
The center has resources on campus, such as the Student Assault Victim’s Advocacy Program, that Munro thinks not enough students know about and use. She said the center plans on advertising those services in a way that will reach more students.
“Survivors can meet with advocacy counselors on campus and we’ll support [the victims] if they want to report or prosecute,” Munro said. “We can also get them connected to medical treatment or resources for help.”
Other available measures for seeking counseling and help in the area, such as the Baton Rouge Rape Crisis Center at 383-7273.
Nicole Gallium, a counselor at the crisis center, said one of the most beneficial things about a crisis hotline is the anonymity for those who may be afraid of being judged.
Bevis said RAINN has received positive reception about the card program in the few months it has been in development and she thinks the campaign will gain momentum as the years pass. She said the network could print as many as one million cards next fall when more schools decide to participate.
The national hotline, located in Washington D.C., can be reached at 1-800-656-HOPE. RAINN will connect the call to an area crisis center.