FUTURE STUDENTS FACULTY & STAFF FRIENDS & VISITORS
CURRENT STUDENTS ALUMNI  
 
  Sexual Assault - How to Stay Safe:
Tips for Students by Students
 
 
  1. Don’t hook up with a person, especially for the first time, when one or both of you have been using alcohol or other drugs. Getting drunk and “hooking up" can be a BAD idea, especially if you've never hooked up with that person before.

  2. Trust your instincts: Your gut will tell you when someone is violating your personal space.

  3. Alcohol is the #1 date rape drug, so stay in control: know the effects of drugs/alcohol on you personally. This way you maintain the power to say “no” and to know what you want.

  4. A person may appear to be conscious even if they are blacked out. Play it safe and don’t pursue sexual activity with that person at that time. If you make sexual contact with someone who is blacked out, you have assaulted them in the eyes of the law.     

    Here are some clues to help you know if a person is incapacitated:

    • Quantity of alcohol/drugs consumed
    • Slurred speech
    • Bloodshot eyes
    • Vomiting
    • Unusual behavior (e.g., acting markedly different from one's typical personality)
    • Passing out
    • Staggering

  5. You can stop consenting to sexual activity at ANY time.
    Here are some ways to help you say no:        
    • State your limits clearly.
    • Say “No” clearly and forcefully.
    • Make an excuse to get out of the room: “I have to go to the bathroom;”  “I really have to go check on my friend.”
    • Move away from the person.
    • Say “Thanks, I've had enough” or “Let's keep things above the belt tonight."
                                                     
  6. You don't owe anyone anything sexually… even if:

    You agreed at first and changed your mind
    You’ve had sex with that person before
    You are wearing a sexy outfit
    You agreed to go to a private place
    Your date has spent money on you

  7. Don't EVER have sexual contact with anyone younger than 17.

  8. In order to consent, you and your partner must know the: who, what, where, when, why, and how of the sexual activity that is about to transpire.

  9. There is a world of difference between seduction and coercion. Seduction implies that both people involved are “playing the same game.” Coercion on the other hand occurs when one person does not want to “play along.” Seduction becomes coercion; coercion begins not when the sexual advance is made, but when someone pushes past the point of realization that the person does not want to be convinced.

  10. It is against university policy to retaliate in any way against someone who files a sexual assault complaint.

  11. "I didn't know" won't help you if you are accused. Both Texas law and University policy use the language "should have known," so make sure you know what you're doing when you touch someone in a sexual way.

  12. If you see a person "getting someone drunk" to facilitate a hook-up, speak up. You'll save both parties from a potentially devastating turn of events.
           

 

 


Questions or comments?
dtuttle@trinity.edu

 


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