What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is any form of non-consensual sexual activity and is an offense that meets the definition of rape, fondling, incest or statutory rape:
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Rape: The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
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Fondling: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
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Incest: Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
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Statutory Rape: Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
If you, or someone you know, has been a victim of sexual assault you can report this to both the university and law enforcement. For more information on how to report, go to the Report Sexual Misconduct page.
What is Consent?
Consent is a voluntary, mutually understandable agreement that clearly indicates a willingness to engage in each instance of sexual activity.
- Consent to one act does not imply consent to another. Past consent does not imply future consent.
- Consent to engage in sexual activity with one person does not imply consent to engage in sexual activity with another.
- Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
- Any expression of an unwillingness to engage in any instance of sexual activity establishes a presumptive lack of consent.
Consent is not effective if it results from any of the following:
- The use of physical force, threat of physical force, or intimidation:
- Intimidation is unlawfully placing another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.
- Coercion or incapacitation
- Incapacitation is a state of being that prevents an individual from having the capacity to give consent. For example, incapacitation could result from the use of drugs or alcohol, a person being asleep or unconscious, or because of an intellectual or other disability.
- Any other factor that would eliminate an individual's ability to exercise his or her own free will to choose whether or not to have sexual activity.
What is Sexual Exploitation?
Sexual Exploitation occurs when an individual takes non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another for his or her own benefit, or to benefit anyone other than the one being exploited. Examples of sexual exploitation include, but are not limited to:
- engaging in voyeurism;
- forwarding of pornographic or other sexually inappropriate material by email, text, or other channels to non-consenting students/groups;
- any activity that goes beyond the boundaries of consent, such as:
- recording of sexual activity,
- letting others watch consensual sex, or
- knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) to another.