Sexual Assault Information

Biola University prohibits the offenses of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and reaffirms its commitment to maintain a campus environment that emphasizes the dignity and worth of all members of the university community.

If you have been the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, whether you file a report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via 911 or not, you should report all incidents promptly to Campus Safety or to the applicable Title IX Coordinator listed below (if the incident involves sexual assault). Campus Safety shall conduct a prompt investigation and shall work with other internal and external departments to resolve the situation. Please include the following information:

• Nature of the incident and persons involved (if known)
• Date, time and location of the incident

The needs of someone who has been sexually assaulted vary from person to person and may vary over time. You have access to on-campus and external resources, many of which may be accessed 24 hours a day, so that you may choose what you find most helpful and healing.

1. Find a safe environment — anywhere away from the attacker. Ask a trusted friend to stay with you for moral support and to accompany you if you go to a hospital or police. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
2. Know that what happened was not your fault and that now you should do what is best for you.
3. Report the attack to an authority of some kind:
   1. You can contact Campus Safety by dialing "5111" from a campus phone, or 562-777-4000.
   2. You can contact the University's Sr Title IX Coordinator, Sandy Hough, during office hours (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m) at 562-944-0351 x5807, Student Services Bldg.
   3. You can contact someone in Student Development, including Residence Life, Commuter Life, or Student Care, during office hours (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
   4. You can contact local police/sheriff by calling 911. A counselor on the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE can help you understand the process.
   5. Until you decide whether or not you will contact the police, you should:
      1. Preserve evidence of the attack - don't bathe or brush your teeth until you can be examined by a medical professional.
      2. Write down all the details you can recall about the attack & the attacker.
      3. Ask a doctor or hospital to conduct a sexual assault forensic examination to preserve evidence. Local hospitals with 'sexual assault response teams' are listed here.
      4. If you suspect you were drugged, ask that a urine sample be collected. The sample will need to be analyzed later on by a forensic lab.
4. If you decide that you will never report, you should still:
   1. Get medical attention. Even with no physical injuries, it is important to determine the risks of STDs and pregnancy. Local hospitals with 'sexual assault response teams' are listed here.
   2. Get emotional support and/or counseling. There are often serious emotional after-effects from the trauma (see below).
   3. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for free, confidential counseling, 24 hours a day: 1.800.656.HOPE.
5. Recognize that healing from sexual assault takes time. Give yourself the time you need.
6. Know that it's never too late to call. Even if the attack happened years ago, the National Sexual Assault Hotline or the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline can still help. Many victims do not realize they need help until months or years later.

Biola urges anyone who has been sexually assaulted to seek professional support as soon as possible to minimize and treat physical harm, assist with processing the unique and complex emotional aftermath, and help preserve and understand options for legal recourse including criminal prosecution and/or civil litigation. Even if the victim does not wish to report the event, seeking medical attention as soon as possible is important. At any point that an individual is ready to come forward, Biola is prepared to help her or him.

Due to the seriousness of trauma that often comes with the fallout of an attack, it is extremely important for victims of sexual abuse to get professional help. You might not feel like you need counseling; however the emotional and mental aftereffects can suddenly catch up with you, especially during periods of high stress in your life as a student.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Prolonged feelings of anxiety, stress, or fear can be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Self-Harm: Some survivors of sexual assault may use self-harm to cope with difficult or painful feelings.
• Flashbacks: It’s possible for memories of a past trauma to feel like they are taking place in the current moment.
• Sexually Transmitted Infections: STIs can occur during any sex act, even if this contact was unwanted or forced.
• Depression: Feelings of sadness and unhappiness that have a negative impact on your life could be a sign of depression.
• Substance Use: There are a number of reasons that survivors report using substances like alcohol and drugs.
• Other effects may occur, including pregnancy, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts.

So even if you choose not to report this assault to the police, Biola's Title IX Office or Campus Safety, please get help for yourself.

Campus Safety conducts the initial investigation and follow-up on all incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and works in conjunction with Student Development to provide victim support.

Information on reporting crimes and victim support services can be found here:

Reporting and Support Resources

On-Campus Resources

Off-Campus Resources

Sexual Assault

Domestic Violence

This is a crime committed by:

• By a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim
• By a person with whom the victim shares a child in common
• By a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner
• By a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred
• By any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.

Dating Violence

Stalking

• Showing up at places where you are even though there is no reason for them to be there;
• Leaving unwanted items for you to find
• Making unsolicited phone calls or e-mails
• Following or spying on you
• Vandalizing your property
• Making threats against you or your family and friends
• Monitoring your telephone and computer activity
• Tracking you using global positioning and other devices

The State of California has adopted an affirmative consent standard in the determination of whether consent was given by both parties to sexual activity. "Affirmative consent" means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. It is the responsibility of each person involved in the sexual activity to ensure that he or she has the affirmative consent of the other or others to engage in the sexual activity. Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent. Affirmative consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked at any time. The existence of a dating relationship between the persons involved, or the fact of past sexual relations between them, should never by itself be assumed to be an indicator of consent.

• Watch out for your friends and fellow students/employees. If you see someone who looks like they could be in trouble or need help, ask if they are okay.
• Confront people who seclude, hit on, try to make out with or have sex with people who are incapacitated.
• Speak up when someone discusses plans to take sexual advantage of another person.
• Refer people to on or off campus resources listed in this document for support in health, counseling, or with legal assistance.
• If you or someone else is in immediate danger, dial 911.

Domestic and Dating Violence

• Avoid abusive relationships
• Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe in any situation, go with your gut. If you see something suspicious, contact law enforcement immediately (local authorities can be reached by calling 911 in most areas of the U.S.).
• If something feels wrong, get out of the relationship/ situation. Get help from a hotline.
• Be assertive and speak up. Clearly communicate your feelings and desires to your partner.

• Be aware of your surroundings. Knowing where you are and who is around you may help you find a way to get out of a bad situation.
• Try to avoid isolated areas. It is more difficult to get help if no one is around.
• Trust your instincts. If you find yourself in a situation where something feels wrong, look for a way out of the situation — move closer to other people or seek out a safe way to get home.
  
• Do not ignore sudden feelings of mistrust just because you have known someone for a long time. You can't tell if a person has the potential to rape based on past behaviors.
• Never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink that you did not see poured. Date-rape drugs can leave you unable to protect yourself, or even know what is happening to you.
• If you're going to drink, stop when you begin to feel the effects of alcohol. The more you drink, the harder it is to know when to stop. When you're drunk, you are more vulnerable.
• Take assertiveness training and self-defense classes. Passive and submissive behaviors can be dangerous. If you become frightened, do your best to be assertive. Speak loudly and firmly, or yell.
• If you are with friends at social gatherings, watch out for each other, and check in from time to time to make sure you're both comfortable with how things are going.
• Say what you expect from your date. Be up front.

Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety.

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
• Trust your instincts. Don't downplay the danger. If you feel you are unsafe, you probably are.
• Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship.
• Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a domestic violence or rape crisis program. They can help you devise a safety plan, give you information about local laws, refer you to other services, and weigh other options.
• Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your home, work, school, or somewhere else. Tell people how they can help you.
• Don't communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to contact you.
• Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you or contacts you, write down the time, date and place. Keep emails, phone messages, letters or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages and any injuries the stalker causes. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw.

• In California, known as Marcy law of 2008, a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking has rights which include the right to protection from the defendant.
• Any person who obtains an order of protection from California should provide a copy to Campus Safety and the office of the applicable Title IX Coordinator. A complainant may then meet with Campus Safety to develop a Safety Action Plan.
• The University would provide necessary information on how to obtain a legal protection/restraining order for a victim.
• The University may issue an institutional no contact order if deemed appropriate or at the request of the victim or accused.
• If the complainant gives consent, university offices will work cooperatively to ensure that the complainant's health, physical safety, work and academic status are protected, pending the outcome of a formal university investigation of the complaint.
• If reasonably available, a complainant may be offered changes to academic, living or working situations in addition to counseling, health services, visa and immigration assistance, and assistance in notifying appropriate local law enforcement.

Biola R.A.D. Program

R.A.D. is offered as part of the Physical Education curriculum (counts as one credit towards the general education/physical education requirement), and is sponsored by Campus Safety. Participation in R.A.D. is limited to females.

Those interested in enrolling in the course may do so during Registration at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. The course is designed to enhance the options of self-defense so they may become a viable consideration to the person who may be attacked.

Sexual Assault & Violence Prevention

All incoming students receive sexual assault and violence prevention training online. Current students can access the training module here.

Additional sexual assault and violence prevention information can be found here.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Employees

Human Resources provides sexual harassment prevention training for all new employees, and for all supervisors on a biannual basis.

Customized training for individuals and departments can be schedule separately. The Department of Campus Safety conducts customized training on sexual assault and violence prevention upon request. Contact Campus Safety via email at campus.safety@biola.edu, or by phone at (562) 903-4877 for more information.

Sex Offender Registry

The federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, enacted on October 28, 2000, requires institutions of higher education to issue a statement advising the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by a State concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. It also requires sex offenders already required to register in a State to provide notice, as required under State law, of each institution of higher education in that State at which the person is employed, carries on a vocation, volunteers services or is a student.

In California, convicted sex offenders must register with the local law enforcement agency for the jurisdiction in which they live. You can link to this information, which appears on the California Department of Justice’s official Internet web site www.meganslaw.ca.gov or by calling the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department at (562) 863-8711