Steps to Follow if You Are a Victim of Rape

Steps to follow if you become a victim of a rape:

1. Immediately report it to the Department of Public Safety (212-772-4444) who will notify the local Police Department and the Vice President of Student Affairs.
2. Get a medical examination at the hospital or at your private doctor right away. Note: Before seeing the doctor, the victim should not douche, bathe, shower, or change clothes, as this would destroy valuable evidence.
3. Students should inform the doctor of the act committed upon them. The doctor should take semen smears and note any injuries.
   
4. The victim should inform the police of all details and give police any clothing stained or torn during the attack.
5. Contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs with regard to a change in the academic situation after an alleged sex offense.

Protecting Evidence in Sexual Offense Cases

To assist law enforcement authorities in prosecuting violators of sexual assaults, victims should not destroy evidence that may be used in such prosecutions. This evidence could be destroyed by bathing and washing away residue of the violator’s semen, hairs, or DNA from their bodies, or by discarding soiled clothing that may still contain important evidence.