The Facts | Right to Know
What Your College Is Doing | Checklist For Peer Educators

THE FACTS ON STUDENT VIOLENCE

Sexual Assault: The Importance of Medical Treatment Sexual and Personal Violence Quiz

Though it is not always easy to predict violent or abusive behavior, these warning signs provide some indication. Watch out for individuals who…

• ignore you when you speak; talk over you.
• cross or violate your personal boundaries.
• call you names or make accusations.
• expect you to alter your way of dress.
• try to persuade you with pleas or accusations if you resist their sexual advances.
• demonstrate a prejudice about gender, race, religion, ability, size, or sexual orientation.
• have displayed violence or abuse against people, animals, objects, or the earth.
• expect you to alter your free time and your activities because of their jealousy.
• appear to have a dual personality.
• demonstrate a lack of self-esteem.
• expect you to yield to their desires.
• frighten you when they are angry.
• blame you for their behavior.
• drink heavily or use drugs.

Confidential help 24-hours a day in North Dakota 1-800-472-2911.

ASK YOURSELF

Are you at risk of committing sexual assault or domestic violence? Ask yourself the following questions to assess your behavior. If you answer yes to any questions on the list, it is time to make changes so that your relationships can be healthier and more fulfilling. For assistance, contact your college counseling center, the local domestic violence/sexual assault crisis center, or 1-800-472-2911 for confidential help and referrals 24-hours a day.

Do you believe that you are not accountable for your actions when you are:

• angry?
• jealous or upset?
• sexually excited?
• under the influence of alcohol or drugs?

Do you argue with your partner when you are actually angry with someone else? Do you treat your partner unequally by…

• ignoring your partner?
• dividing responsibilities unevenly?
• expecting your partner to spend less time with friends and family?
• expecting that you and your partner should go more often to your favorite places and do your favorite things?

Do you believe that you know what your date wants without needing to ask or clarify?

Do you assume that the desire for affection indicates a desire for sex?

Do you disbelieve or disregard someone's uncertainty about having sex?

Do you believe that your date is responsible for meeting your sexual needs, and that you should both want the same level of intimacy?

Do you believe that it is sometimes appropriate to have sex with someone who resists or is disinterested if that person…

• has teased you?
• has dressed provocatively?
• said "no," but seems to mean "yes?"
• has had sex with you before?
• has allowed you to pay for the date?
• seems to want to be persuaded?
• is under the influence of alcohol or drugs?
• initiated sexual contact and then quit?

REMEMBER

• Communicate your sexual desires honestly, and as early as possible.
• Stop, ask, and clarify before engaging in sexual activity.
• You risk committing sexual assault if you think "no" ever means "yes."
• Sexual and domestic assaults are crimes of violence punishable under ND law.
• Even if you are drunk, you are responsible for your actions. Intoxication is not a legal defense for illegal behavior.

PROTECT YOURSELF

• You can't always avoid personal violence, but here are some things you can do to minimize your chances.
• Examine your sexual desires and limits before a sexual encounter.
• Let your limits be known to your date.
• Know that you are never responsible for fulfilling anyone else's sexual needs, and that love is not synonymous with sex.
• Use assertive speech and body posture.
• Have your own transportation or taxi fare.
• Avoid secluded places, including houses, apartments, and rooms in residence halls and fraternity/sorority houses.
• Be aware that using alcohol or drugs makes you more vulnerable because you are less able to assess the danger and escape.
• Trust your discomfort; if you sense potential danger, listen to your instincts.
• Get out of violent or uncomfortable situations.

– Be impolite if necessary.

– Protest loudly.

– Leave.

– Go for help.

For help, contact your college counselor, abuse and rape crisis center, or 1-800-472-2911.

You can leave a violent relationship. People who have left abusive relationships say they're happier without the abuse, even if they are alone.

Confidential help 24-hours a day in North Dakota.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• includes dating and marital violence, as well as violence against a family member, household member, or anyone with whom the individual has or has had a relationship.
• involves verbal threats, mental anguish, physical harm, or bodily assault.
• is against the law.

SEXUAL ASSAULT is any act of sexual contact performed by one or more persons upon another

• without mutual consent or
• with an inability of the victim to give consent due to age, or mental or
• physical incapacity that can include intoxication.
• includes same-sex sexual assaults; sexual abuse; and spousal and acquaintance rape.
• is against the law.

DID YOU KNOW

The federal Student-Right-to-Know Act mandates all federally-funded colleges and universities to have effective policies and educational programs in place to prevent sexual assault. It requires that colleges and universities gather and publish statistics on the number of sexual assaults on campus each year.