Sexual Assault Resources

If you have experienced a sexual assault, you may be faced with many decisions to make about your own physical and emotional well-being as well as filing reports through the University or law enforcement. At the end of the day, you are the expert of your own life and you get to decide what makes sense for you.  

Please know that you are not alone.  

Remember it is never your fault 

Safety Precautions to Consider: 

• Safety Precautions to Consider : your safety is your number one priority.  

• Try to preserve all physical evidence: Try not to shower, bathe, or brush your teeth. If you can’t immediately contact the police or go the hospital for evidence collection or are unsure about whether or not you want to file a report, save the clothing that you were wearing or any other fabric such as bedding in a brown paper bag. If you have already showered or washed clothes, please do not fret. You can still work with police and medical staff for evidence collection! 

• Seek support for what has happened: Talk with someone you trust to get immediate support. Please note, the vast majority of MSU employees are Mandatory Reporters (this includes Resident Advisors & Professors) which means they will report the information you disclose to us at Campus Civil Rights. We will then follow up with you via email to ensure you have information about your rights and resources. From there, you get to decide if you want to connect with us further.  

• • Friends or family members can be great support providers, however, if you are uncomfortable sharing your experience with people close to you, there are other forms of support available to you.   

• • If you wish to seek professional support, Campus Civil Rights, Help Center of Bozeman, and HAVEN are all available. Confidential counseling is also available through the MSU Counseling and Psychological Services. 

• Seek medical attention: The Bozeman Health ER has trained nurses who can meet with you, collect evidence through a forensic rape or domestic violence exam, check for injuries, provide emergency contraception, and provide STI preventative medication.  

• • Under Montana’s FREPP (Forensic Rape Examination Payment Program) you have the option of having evidence collected without reporting the crime. The evidence will be held for up to one year, so you have plenty of time to decide if you want to report the crime and initiate an investigation.  Evidence collection is FREE of charge for the survivor. 

• • You can find more information about Sexual Assault Forensic Exams here 

Common Responses to Sexual Assault

We all have different reactions to difficult experiences, and this is true for individuals who have experienced sexual assault.  Each victim-survivor has a unique reaction to the assault and may respond to the crisis in a variety of ways.  Some of the more common responses are described below to help victim-survivors and their loved ones better understand the impact of sexual violence.  Some common responses include: 

• Humiliation 

• • Many sexual assault survivors feel ashamed, embarrassed, and humiliated.  This sense may be heightened by misinformation that victims should be able to protect themselves. 

• Shame and Self-Blame 

• • Many people who have experienced sexual harm blame themselves for the assault – blame themselves for something they did or didn’t do, for what they wore, for not fighting back.  This reaction is often an attempt to regain control.  Remember, it is not the victim's fault.  Only the perpetrator had the power to prevent the assault. 

• Guilt 

• • Guilt often comes from the sense that the individual could have and should have done something more to protect themselves or to prevent the assault. 

• Fear of People 

• • Some sexual assault survivors thought they were going to lose their lives during the assault and some may still be in the presence of, or in close proximity to, their perpetrator, especially in small communities (e.g., family, social groups, rural communities).  Over time, the survivor may experience flashbacks that make them feel intensely afraid or they may experience a less intense, more prolonged sense fear. 

• Feeling of Loss of Control 

• • Sexual assault, in itself, is a traumatic loss of control.  During an assault, an individual’s right to make decisions about their body and control the contact they have with another person is destroyed.  After the assault, this loss of control may result in difficulty making decisions or asserting feelings and needs. 

• Concern for the Perpetrator 

• • In some cases, a survivor may express concern about what will happen to the perpetrator if the assault is reported to the police.  The victim may know, care about, and/or be dependent upon the offender (as in the case of an intimate partner).  This is a valid reaction and, while it may be confusing or frustrating, a victim’s support system can be instrumental in understanding those feelings while keeping them safe. 

• Grief 

• • An assault is a profound loss and is characterized by intense sadness.  A survivor may feel their life has been shattered to such an extent that they will never recover.  A strong support system can help relieve this grief and move the survivor through the healing process. 

• Depression 

• • A deep feeling of emptiness, remorse, and unhappiness may set in following a sexual assault.  This reaction may result in survivors feeling hopeless, immobilized, and unable to make decisions.  Depression often makes survivors feel like everything is going wrong and nothing will ever be resolved. 

• Denial 

• • Some survivors respond to the trauma of an assault by minimizing the experience, refusing to talk about the assault, or by blocking it out of their consciousness altogether. 

• Anger and Irritability 

• • Sexual assault can result in tremendous rage.  While anger is a natural and healthy response, it may be misdirected towards family members, law enforcement, attorneys, or others who may be trying to offer assistance.  However, sometimes this anger is appropriately directed towards people surrounding the survivor.  A trained sexual assault advocate can help victims and loved ones better understand this reaction and guide healthy, safe expression of this anger. 

• Preoccupation with Disease, Pregnancy, or Death 

• • Individuals may focus on the worst-case physical outcomes that may accompany the sexual assault.  HIV infection is a common concern, and survivors may react to the assault by focusing on their potential mortality.  It is important to take these concerns seriously.  Some survivors may still be in danger or may require medical attention. 

• Risk of Suicide 

• • Some survivors of sexual assault may respond by contemplating and/or threatening suicide.  It is important to be aware of this risk and to take any signs of suicide seriously. 

Common Questions Survivors Consider

• What just happened? 

• •  After a sexual assault, many survivors try to rationalize what happened to them. They may be confused about what to do, what to think, and how to proceed.  

• Was this my fault? 

• • Many time’s a person who is navigating the trauma of sexual assault tends to blame themselves for the assault as a way of rationalizing what has happened to them.  

• What will people think?  

• • One of the most common fears among survivors of sexual assault is the fear of what other people will think. Many survivors are afraid of being blamed for the assault or not being believed.  

• What do I do now?  

• • After a sexual assault, survivors may be in shock and wondering where to turn. Some survivors may want to immediately seek help whereas other survivors may not want any help.  

• What about the perpetrator? 

• • 89% of rape and sexual assault crimes are committed by someone that the survivor knows; an acquaintance, friend, family member, significant other, or authority figure. Many survivors decide not to report or move forward because they are afraid of the repercussions from or for the perpetrator. 

Sexual Assault Forensic Exams

Your health and wellbeing are important. If you have experienced a sexual assault, you can complete a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam free of charge at the Bozeman Health ER. If you’re wondering why you should consider a SAFE, please explore this video 

If you don’t know what to expect from a SAFE and would like to learn more before making a decision, please explore this video 

During a SAFE, you are in charge; you get to decide what you do and do not want to participate in. The SAFE Procedures include: Narrative gathering, DNA Evidence Collection, Photos, and STI Medication.  

SAFE FAQ