Rape Crisis
Everywomans Center* 24-hour Rape Crisis HotLine: (413) 545-0800
Hampshire County Toll-Free Rape Crisis Hotline: 1-888-337-0800
(* Everywomans center is not just for female-identifying people)
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or raped, you may not know where to turn to. You may not know what your options are on Smith College campus, or at one of the other 4 colleges, or anywhere else. It can happen anywhere.
These are some things you might think to do following an attack, assault, or rape:
1.) Throw away your clothes and take a shower
2.) Call/Go to Health Services
3.) Call/Go to the hospital
4.) Call/Go to Public Safety
1.) Your first instinct may be to throw away your clothes and take a shower. This reaction is normal. However, please resist the urge to shower. Rape is a Crime. It is crucial to preserve all of the evidence. Know Your Legal Rights at Smith.
2.) If you call or go to Health Services (x2800), they will direct you to Cooley Dickinson Hospital ( 413-582-2000 ). Currently, there is no one at Health Services trained in rape crisis, and they do not have rape kits.
3.) If you call or go to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, you will receive the attention of health professionals trained in rape crisis. They are experienced in treating rape survivors, and are sensitive to your needs. They will give you the option of having a standard rape kit procedure, and while the procedure may feel invasive, the nurses are sensitive to your feelings and will make the process as comfortable as possible, so as to prevent retruamatization. While it may be helpful in the long run to have a rape kit done, it is also a person's choice NOT to have one done. You may still receive medical attention and choose not to have a rape kit be a part of it.
4.) If you call or go to Public Safety (x800 emergency, x2490 routine), you will be set up with one of their officers that is trained in rape crisis response. They will record your account of the incident, and collect all of the pertinent evidence. They will then drive you to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, where you will go through the process described in #3 above.
Here are a few reasons why calling/going to Public Safety is your BEST option:
1.) It is normal for many rape survivors to not want to press charges against their assailant(s) following an assault. However, most survivors change their minds months, even years later and decide to press charges. That is why it’s important to have a police report of the incident and all of the evidence preserved in your file. Please see Know Your Legal Rights at Smith.
2.) You know those crime statistics reports from Public Safety that we get in our mailboxes at the beginning of each school year? Well I’ve heard many students complain that their rape statistic seems unrealistically low. The only way that a rape will be reported in that statistic is if it is reported to Public Safety or the Northampton Police Department. If you go to Health Services and/or Cooley Dickenson Hospital, the rape will NOT be counted in the annual statistics.
3.) Public Safety will drive students to the hospital.
It may be helpful to keep these numbers in your wallet:
Public Safety #'s of the 5 Colleges:
Smith College:
(413-585)-800 Emergency,
(413-585)-2490 Routine
Umass Amherst:
(413) 545-2121 Non-Emergency
Amherst College:
(413) 542-2111 Emergency,
(413) 542- 2291 Business
Hampshire College:
(413) 559-5555 Emergency
(413) 559-5424 General Business
Mt. Holyoke College:
(413) 538-2304 Non-Emergency
Cooley Dickinson Hospital:
30 Locust Street (Route 9)
Northampton, MA 01061-5001
(413) 582-2000
List of where the emergency boxes are on campus:
@ Smith
@ Amherst
Take care of yourself and get help.
Remember there is counseling available at Smith College Health Services, if you wish to make an appointment please call x2840. Students with full and partial Smith College Health Insurance qualify for 8 free counseling sessions, and students with Private Health Insurance qualify for 3 free sessions. Students can also get you referrals to therapists in town if s/he does not wish to see someone at Counseling Services.
You can talk to your Dean to get extensions on work if you need it, and remember Public Safety can arrange protection for you if you feel you need it.
Please visit Smith Public Safety's: "What To Do In The Case Of A Sexual Assault" and Mt. Holyoke's Sexual Assault Resource guide for more information.
Written by Gwen Reichert '07 and
AWARE Co-Chairs, Nora Pittis '06 and Cara Gaumont '07,: aware@smith.edu
Last Updated: 11-14-05
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