Community Safety

One Community...

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One Goal...

SAFETY!

The Value of One - The Power of All: How You Can Help

Cooperate as a Community

Want to volunteer for the Langdon Street Neighborhood Watch Program?  Contact MPD Officer Tony Fiore (afiore@cityofmadison.com). In one study of 18 communities, 15 of them showed evidence that neighborhood watch reduced crime.

Can we work together?  Several studies conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s showed that increased interactions between local police departments and communities led to a reduced crime rate and increased community members’ respect for laws and law enforcement officers.

Can we create a community?  Crime prevention and community safety programs bring communities closer by requiring residents to work together to achieve their goals. Source

Can we look out for each other and support each other?  Every single minute in America, there are 1.3 sexual assaults of adult women, and 13% of adult American women have been victims of at least one forcible rape in their lifetime. Source

Educate Yourself About Sexual Assault

What can men do to help prevent sexual assault? Click here and review these suggestions.

Want to connect with other Greek men who are learning to take a stand against sexual violence? Join the Fraternity Action Coalition (FAC), a six-week, one-credit seminar where UW fraternity members discuss topics surrounding sexual violence in an effort to prevent it. For more info, email fraternityactioncoalition@gmail.com

Do you know the person you are walking home with?  Do you REALLY know them?  In a survey of college campuses in the U.S., 84% of sexual assault victims knew their attacker and 57% of the rapes happened on dates. Source You have the right to say know to anyone at anytime - even those you are close to! Click here for warning signs of abuse in a relationship.

Is it ever too late to say no? No! Everyone has the right to say 'no' and everyone has the right to change their mind at any time regardless of their past experiences with other people or the person they are with. You can say something as simple as, "can we slow down, "I want to stop," or you can even pretend you are going to vomit. More info

Did you hear yes? Did you say yes? 84% of men whose actions matched the legal definition of rape, said that what they did was definitely not rape. Consent is a clear YES, or overt actions (the person is kissing you back, hugging you, actively participating). Consent is NOT the absence of a no. Source

Don't know what consent is or ways of giving and getting consent without being awkward about it? Learn how to here. Consent is not just about men asking women.

Did you have a fun night?  That’s great, just don’t let it ruin your tomorrow.  75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs at the time. Source

Would you tell a judge, ‘It wasn’t my fault, I was drunk”?  Drinking is not an excuse for violence or destruction.  One study at a large Midwestern university and found that alcohol use is strongly associated with sexual violence.

Feeling Alone?  You’re not.  Sexual assault is the most underreported crime in the country, with only 16% ever being reported to police. Source Learn about what some of your options are here.

 Don’t know where to go?  Out of the UW students who were sexually assaulted, approximately 68% reported the assault, and 94% of chose who reported chose to do so with a friend instead of an individual trained in intervention services.  There are trained staff are available on campus to provide counseling. Call the Dean of Students Office at 263-5700 to reach student advocacy services.   (Statistics from the 2002 Dean of Students study on sexual assault)

What do you really know about sexual assault? Think you're right? Find out here

Reduce Your Risk

Did you lock your door?  Almost 50% of all residential burglaries result from thieves gaining entry through unlocked doors or unlocked windows. Source

Don’t have a friend to walk home with?  Call SAFEwalk - 608-262-5000

Are you taking a walk on the dark side?  Come back to the light! Take advantage of the University's lightway.   While studies have shown that improved street lighting does not always reduce crime, in certain instances it may improve safety.

Want to learn to defend yourself?  The Rape Crisis Center and the Dean of Students Office offers Chimera, an assertiveness and self-defense training program.  For more information, click on the links above or contact the Dean of Students Office at 263-5702.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Click here for a calendar of events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

More Resources

Rape Crisis Center (RCC) 251-7273 (24-Hour Crisis Line)
Campus Office: 608-265-6389. 115 North Orchard Street, room 332
This service is for counseling and support. They are also a great information resource on these issues. Your visits and contact with the RCC are confidential, and will not show up on your campus record. RCC will never share information with the university about your case unless you request it and they receive written permission from you. The RCC also offers advocates to help survivors deal with the medical and legal establishment.

Rape Crisis Center's Drop-In Sexual Assault Survivor Group
Campus Women’s Center, 4th floor Memorial Union
Please call 265-6389 or 251-7273 if you would like more information. This support group is not a peer-led support group, and is facilitated by a trained counselor. It is open to the general public, including students. Sponsored by the RCC and the Campus Women’s Center.

Dean of Students Office 263-5700
If the perpetrator is a student you can file a non-academic misconduct through the student judiciary system. If you feel the need to take some time off school, your tuition can be reimbursed, you can even drop classes after the deadline. You could get extensions on class assignments and absences. You can report without pressing charges through the University, so the individual is “flagged.” Dean of Students Office can also help work with your professors or landlord to make you feel more comfortable and safe.

Dean’s Crisis Fund
For any major crisis, there is an emergency fund if you don’t feel comfortable going back to your dorm room or apartment or home this fund could put you up in a hotel. If you just want to go home and you’re a plane or bus ticket away, this fund could help you buy it. This fund is a loan for students only to make you feel safe and for you to regain control. Forms of paying back the loan are evaluated on an individual basis.

UW Police 262-2957 or 262-4524 (non-emergency)

Madison Police 255-2345 (non-emergency) and other MPD non-emergency numbers

University Health Services (UHS) 265-5600
There are staff members available for support, counseling, advice and medical services. Go in person if they’re in their open hours. The phone line is automated so be prepared to not hear an actual person’s voice until you have gone through the options available.

Counseling and Consultation Services 265-5600
This services will give you advice and recommendations for all kinds of health questions.

Meriter Hospital Emergency Care 367-6206
You will likely be referred to a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE nurse),  who will examine you regardless of when the assault(s) took place.  If you are choosing to report to police, the SANE nurse will collect evidence, however you are not obligated to make a police report.  You can request that a counselor from the Rape Crisis Center be at your side during this difficult but important decision.

SAFE Nighttime Services 608-262-5000

Langdon Street Neighborhood Watch Program 608-267-1182
This program utilizes the size and philanthropic qualities of the Greek community to create a neighborhood watch program for the Langdon Street area.  Volunteers are provided with reflective vests, flashlights and LEDs and walk from 11pm-3am on Friday and Saturday nights.  Volunteers serve as a visible deterrent and are not encouraged to be confrontational, and are there to call the police if needed.  Call the number above to get your group involved!