University Health Center officials expect to collect more evidence in sexual assault cases thanks to a new state law that requires police agencies to store sexual assault case documentation, which will be labeled anonymously, for at least six months.
The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at the health center – one of the few programs of its kind in the country – was once required to file a police report if it collected evidence.
Those who work with sexual assault victims on campus say the police reporting process often intimidates victims and deters them from reporting the case. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, and victims often experience feelings of guilt.
With the passage of Oregon House Bill 2154, victims can choose to collect evidence and decide later if they want to move forward with potential prosecution. The health center will assign the evidence kit an anonymous number and the kit will be stored at the Eugene Police Department for at least six months.
Cindy Smith, a SANE nurse at the health center who testified before the Oregon legislature about the bill, said the health center takes additional swabs if a student chooses to collect evidence. Students, she said, aren’t always thinking about prosecution after the attack.
“They can leave and go think about it,” Smith said. “If weeks later they decide – after thinking about it more or talking to friends or family – they want to report, the evidence won’t get lost.”
She said the health center’s first priority is medical care and not evidence collection.
“We absolutely don’t insist that people report,” Smith said. “The majority of students still don’t want to report, and we totally respect that.”
Smith said treatment for victims could include emergency contraception and antibiotics for a possible sexually transmitted infection.
During the 2005-06 school year, SANE saw 13 sexual assault cases, three of which were reported to police, according to statistics kept by nurses. This school year, the health center has seen 12 sexual assault cases so far, and six have been reported to police.
Although the health center focuses on treatment, Oregon’s new law may encourage students to report more cases.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 81 percent of on-campus assaults and 84 percent of off-campus assaults are not reported to police. Rape and sexual assault are the least likely crimes to be reported to police.
Jon Davies, senior staff psychologist at the University Counseling & Testing Center, said victims often suffer from a variety of effects brought on by sexual assault.
“Initially someone could feel emotionally numb, anxious, fearful or angry,” he said, adding victims often feel guilty or shameful and take partial blame for the attack. Victims may also experience feelings of powerlessness and low self-esteem, and may have trouble developing a romantic relationship in the future.
“Sometimes people have flashbacks of the incident,” Davies said. “Just a smell, a sight, a touch or a sound could initiate a flashback of the sexual assault.”
Davies said feelings of guilt may prevent students from reporting a case.
“If someone starts blaming themselves, or they’re feeling shameful, they’re less likely to report because they’re feeling partially responsible,” Davies said.
Davies said student awareness of victims who have been discredited or ridiculed in the media or legal system after they report a case may further prevent students from pushing for prosecution.
At the health center, nurses have always seen sexual assault victims, but they weren’t able to collect evidence until two years ago, Smith said. Students were forced to go to an emergency room to collect evidence.
“We were seeing students here anyway, so we wanted to offer them the same services,” Smith said.
The SANE program was started at the health center in 2005 after Smith attended training through Attorney General Hardy Myers’ Sexual Assault Task Force. The program trained mostly emergency room nurses, but Smith brought the program to the University.
“We really started from scratch because there wasn’t a lot out there,” Smith said.
Anne Mattson, health center associate director, said fewer than 10 similar programs exist on college campuses across the country.
“The uniqueness of it is that it’s based on the University Health Center,” Mattson said. “There are other university-affiliated SANE programs, but they’re based in the community hospital emergency room.”
College health centers are looking at the University’s SANE program, which was the first in the state, to help develop their own programs.
“I get calls from around the country asking about it,” Smith said.
The SANE program provides benefits the emergency room doesn’t offer, Smith said. Students are in a familiar setting and can access other University resources, including the Office of Student Life, University Housing and the Counseling and Testing Center.
“The University has helped me get someone moved because they didn’t feel safe in their apartment,” Smith said. “You just can’t do that at the emergency room.”
Sheryl Eyster, who works in the Office of Student Life as an advocate for sexual assault victims, said in an e-mail most victims of campus sexual assault are female, but said perpetrators can target any demographic.
“The victims include everyone,” Eyster said. “Sexual assault victims are perceived by their perpetrator as accessible or vulnerable,” she said.
Davies said victims can be men, too.
One-third of victims in the U.S. are first-year students between 17 and 19, according to the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice.
“Offenders are usually men and don’t use a weapon in the attack,” Eyster said.
“What I want to make clear, however, is that these men are few in number,” Eyster said. “The majority of men within our campus and community are not engaging in sexual violence.”
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