If you've been sexually assaulted
If a friend's been sexually assaulted
Sexual Assault Hotline
Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination
Sexual Assault Hotline
275-7273
The University of Rochester has provided a Sexual Assault Hotline for student members of the UR community since 1993. Staff members who volunteer to work on the Sexual Assault Hotline are trained to work in conjunction with existing University resources, including University Security, the Dean of Students Offices, the Office for Residential Life, University Health Service, University Counseling Center, the Strong Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, and the University Intercessor's office to offer support to students who need assistance with issues related to relationship violence, sexual assault and date or acquaintance rape.
When a student calls 275-7273, the initial call is taken by an emergency hotline service. The counselor employed by the emergency service gathers basic information about the caller and contacts the Sexual Assault Hotline volunteer by beeper while the student waits on the line.
Sexual Assault Hotline volunteers support students and their significant others (i.e., partners, family, roommates, RA staff, etc.) through the initial and/or subsequent stages of an incident. Hotline members educate callers about resources available on and off campus, helping students to implement their own choices about what resources they wish to access. Members of the Hotline help callers to identify feelings and reactions to trauma and to activate their own personal support systems and coping mechanisms. They suggest referrals to campus and community resources whenever appropriate.
The University community is composed of many small, close-knit groups in which the spread of rumors and misinformation can be swift and contagious. In a setting such as this, maintaining the privacy of the caller is of the utmost importance in order to prevent revictimization. Due to the sensitive nature of the information that Sexual Assault Hotline volunteers may hear, the privacy of the caller is maintained to the extent possible.
Sexual Assault Hotline members keep private any and all information regarding their interactions with a caller, unless the Hotline member perceives a risk of harm to the caller, themselves, or others. Sexual Assault Hotline volunteers do not engage in discussion of any event, or even the anonymous circumstances of an event, with anyone who is not affiliated with the Sexual Assault Hotline.
