Title IX Victim Resources
Risk Reduction Tips
- If you have limits, make them known before things go too far.
- Tell a sexual aggressor “NO” clearly and loudly, like you mean it.
- Try to extricate yourself from the physical presence of a sexual aggressor.
- Grab someone nearby and ask for help.
- Be responsible for your alcohol intake/drug use and realize that alcohol/drugs lower your sexual inhibitions and may make you vulnerable to someone who views a drunk or high person as a sexual opportunity.
- Watch out for your friends and ask that they watch out for you. A real friend will get in your face if you are about to make a mistake. Respect them if they do.
- If you find yourself in the position of being the initiator of sexual behavior, you owe sexual respect to your potential partner.
These suggestions may help you to reduce your risk for being accused of sexual misconduct:
- Don’t Make Assumptions about consent; someone’s sexual availability; whether someone is attracted to you; how far you can go; whether they are physically and mentally able to consent to you.
- Clearly communicate your intentions to your sexual partner and give them a chance to clearly relate their intentions to you.
- Mixed messages from your partner should be a clear indication that you should step back, defuse the sexual tension, and communicate better. Perhaps you are misreading them. Perhaps they haven’t figured out how far they want to go with you yet. You need to respect the timeline with which they are comfortable.
- Don’t take advantage of someone’s drunkenness or drugged state, even if they did it to themselves.
- Realize that your potential partner could be intimidated by you, or fearful. You may have a power advantage simply because of your gender or size. Don’t abuse that power.
- Understand that consent to some forms of sexual behavior does not necessarily imply consent to other forms of sexual behavior.
- On this campus, silence and passivity cannot be interpreted by you as an indication of consent. Read your potential partner carefully, paying attention to verbal and non‐verbal communication and body language.
Active Bystanders
- Communicate that the behavior is unacceptable without embarrassing the offending person
- Name or identify inappropriate behavior so it isn’t just glossed over or ignored.
- Protect someone from being hurt or offended and someone else from giving offense or harm. Make it clear that such behavior is not acceptable in this community.
- Help someone who has been hurt or offended, and/or prevent further injury or offense.
- See that the situation is handled by those best able to cope. Make people responsible for this class, department, residence, office, etc. aware of what is going on.
Resources
Community College Counselor
Sheriff Department
Health Department
Counseling Center
Area Hospitals
Near Jersey City Campus:
Jersey City, NJ Medical Center
355 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Near Belleville, Campus:
Clara Maass Medical Center
1 Clara Maass Drive
Belleville, NJ 07109