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Campus Review
May 19, 2014
Page 18
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
by Bobby Hamil
Plan, Prepare, React
by Bobby Hamil
The month of April was National Sexual
Assault Awareness and Prevention Month,
with a focus on ending the outrage of sex-
ual assault, giving survivors the support
they need to heal, and building a culture
that never tolerates sexual violence.
Although great strides have been made,
sexual violence remains a great concern
on college campuses. Today, an estimated
one in five women is the victim of a sex-
ual assault on college campuses. Because
campuses should be places where every-
one can safely and comfortably pursue
their dreams, President Obama recently
launched the White House Task Force to
Protect Students from Sexual Assault.
Listed below are some practical safety
tips for not only prevention from being a
victim of a sexual assault, but also tips for
prevention from being accused of a sexu-
al assault:
Don’t Be a Victim of Sexual Assault
• When you’re preparing for a date or a
party, take care of yourself first. Have
enough money to pay for your meal and
transportation home, if necessary. Have
your cell phone charged and with you.
• At parties and bars, keep a friend in
sight. Watch out for each other, and check
in from time to time to make sure you’re
both comfortable with how things are
going.
• Trust your instincts. If you find yourself
in a situation where something feels
wrong, look for a way out of the situa-
tion—move closer to other people or seek
out a safe way to get home.
• Don’t 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 sexually assaulted, go to a
clinic or emergency room immediately.
You can decide later whether or not to
press charges, but it is critical that you
To all students, faculty and staff, the fol-
lowing safety tips are being provided in
the unfortunate event that any of you are
ever exposed to an active shooter incident,
whether on or off campus.
Active Shooter defined—an individual
actively engaged in shooting people in a
confined space or other populated area. In
most cases, there is no pattern or method
to their selection of victims.
If an active shooter is ever in your vicini-
ty, quickly determine the most reasonable
way to protect yourself. Students,
employees and visitors are likely to fol-
low the directions of instructors, supervi-
sors and administrators during an active
shooter situation.
Active Shooter Response Options --
Preferred Option; Evacuate
• Have an escape route and plan in mind.
Identify the nearest exit doors from your
location to the outside of the building.
• Leave your belongings behind (take
keys and phones only if it doesn’t delay
your escape)
• Keep your hands visible if you
encounter the police
Second Option; Hide
• Hide in an area out of the active shoot-
er’s view
• Block entry to your hiding place and
lock or barricade the doors if possible
with tables, chairs, etc.
• Place cell phones on silent or vibrate
mode
• Keep quiet and turn out the lights
Last Resort; Take Action
As a last resort and only when your life is
in danger
• Attempt to incapacitate the active shoot-
er
• Act with physical aggression and throw
items at the shooter, books, backpacks,
shoes, hot coffee, fire extinguishers, any-
thing that may be a deterrent or distrac-
tion.
Call Public Safety at (678) 466-4050 or
911 when it is safe to do so.
How to respond when law enforcement
arrives:
• Remain calm and follow instructions
from officers
• Immediately raise hands and spread fin-
gers when instructed by officers
• Keep hands visible at all times
• Avoid making quick movements toward
officers such as attempting to go to them
for safety
• Avoid pointing, screaming or yelling
• Don’t stop to ask officers for help or
direction when evacuating; proceed in the
direction from which officers are entering
the building/area or toward the location
designated by officers
Information you should provide to law
enforcement or 911
• Location of the active shooter/s
• Number of shooters
Assult Prevention, cont’d., p. 19
Active Shooter, cont’d., p. 19