Residence Life Staff Protocol

As a member of Residence Life Staff, your response to victims of sexual assault is very important. You have an opportunity to make a difference in their healing process by responding in a supportive, sensitive, nonjudgmental way. It is very important that you understand that sometimes, not reporting an assault is the best option for a victim. Sometimes delaying telling someone and talking about the assault months or years after it happened is what a victim chooses.

You are not expected to, nor should you, act as a counselor. Your responsibility as a staff member of residence life is to support the victim and refer her/him to staff that are trained to assist victims of sexual assault.
It is also important to remember when working with a victim to ask only for the information that you need to know, rather than want to know. It is not your responsibility to be an investigator if someone discloses an incident of sexual assault- your role is to be there for the victim. If the victim mentions the name of the perpetrator, this is something for you to discuss with your supervisor.

You are not alone. Dealing with sexual assault can be overwhelming to those trying to assist the victim. SAS/CVA staff and your supervisors at residence life are available and want to help you do your job. It is possible that some of you who have had personal experiences with sexual violence will be approached by a victim for support. This can be very difficult. Linking the victim with sources of support is one way to handle this. If you need support for yourself, you can contact SAS/CVA to talk.

The following material outlines what is expected of you by the University as a member of Residence Life staff when responding to a victim of sexual assault. This information was covered in your residence life staff training conducted by SAS/CVA. This includes:

• What do I say if a victim discloses to me?
• Steps for responding to victims of sexual assault
• Understanding confidentiality
• Protocol Checklist (PDF)

For questions or comments, call (732) 932-1181 or email sascva@rci.rutgers.edu
Last updated: 12/05/2005

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