Student Life at ECSU

PACE Center

Decreasing violence on campus through outreach and advocacy.

 
The PACE Center is open to individuals of all genders in the ECSU community. The PACE Center works to promote awareness of cultural factors that support violence and to combat these factors in efforts to change cultural norms on campus related to sexual assault, relationship violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
 
The PACE Center continuously promotes the importance of consent in all campus communication, particularly with regards to sexual behavior. Consent is a clear agreement, expressed in mutually understandable words and/or actions, to engage in a particular activity. Both partners are involved in any decision regarding sexual activity.
 

Consent is:

  • Voluntary: It is not consent if there is emotional or psychological pressure, intimidation, or fear.
  • A continuous process: Prior consent does not indicate ongoing consent. Make sure all new activity is agreed upon by both partners.
  • Sober: A person who is intoxicated cannot legally give consent.
  • Enthusiastic: Someone giving consent will be informed and usually excited.

Consent is NOT:

  • Ambiguous: If someone does not clearly and positively agree to engage in an activity, it should be assumed that consent has not been given.
  • Silence: Do not assume that someone's lack of verbal assent means s/he is willing to engage in a particular activity. In other words, not saying “no” does not mean “yes.” Only “yes” means “yes.”
  • Ongoing: Consent to engage in one activity, or past consent to engage in activity, does not constitute consent to ongoing activity.
  • Body language: Flirting, style, and “looks” do not ever mean on their own that someone is willing to participate in sexual activity.
  • Under the influence: Incapacitation, including incapacitation due to alcohol or drug use and/or sleep, legally means that an individual cannot consent to sexual activity.

Honest communication and mutual respect make sex and relationships better. Consent is empowering for all individuals and shows respect for yourself and your partner.

Goals of the PACE Center include:

  • Development of survivor-focused programming to aid victims of sexual assault and sexual violence
  • Continued education of campus community members on the importance of consent
  • Implementation of prevention and education materials for all incoming and current students
  • Provision of bystander intervention training to campus and student leaders
  • Fostering of dialogue among campus departments and between students, faculty and staff
  • Raising awareness of violence against women through campus-wide and community-focused events
  • Communication of the unacceptable consequences of sexual violence on the individual and the community to students, staff, and faculty
  • Consistent review of university policy and protocol related to sexual misconduct and sexual assault

 

 

Information on Sexual Violence

From The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Summary Report (NISVS 2016/2017)

1 in 5 women experienced completed or attempted rape during her lifetime.

1 in 9 men was made to penetrate someone (completed or attempted) during his lifetime.

 

Reports of Sexual Violence among Female Victims by Type of Perpetrator  
Unwanted sexual contact   
Current or former intimate partner   16. 8% 
Family members       22.8% 
Person of authority     9.4 % 
Acquaintance            59.9 % 
Brief encounter         11.7% 
Stranger                    22.4% 

 

Reports of Sexual Violence among Male Victims by Type of Perpetrator  
Unwanted sexual contact       
Current or former intimate partner    9.2%  
Family member           8.3 % 
Person of authority     7.2 % 
Acquaintance.            62.4 % 
Brief encounter.          11.1 % 
Stranger                      21.9 % 

 

From NASPA® Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Nearly 37% of students believe they could be blamed for being sexually assaulted.

One in four did not tell anyone because they thought they would be blamed or that nothing would be done.

  • 58% of female victims of sexual assault/battery sustain injury (Planty, Berzofsky, Krebs, Langton & Smiley-McDonald, 2013)
  • Women who have experienced sexual violence are more likely to suffer health problems, including:
  • Chronic pain, asthma, headaches, sleep issues, diabetes (NISVS 2010)
  • Smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension (Cloutier, Martin & Poole, 2002)
  • Sexually-transmitted infections, injection drug use, alcohol abuse (Wingood, DiClemente & Robinson, 2009)
  • Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (Coker, Davis, Arias, Desai, Sanderson, Brandt & Smith, 2002)
  • >50% of individuals raped under the influence of alcohol or drugs develop lifetime PTSD (Zinzow, Resnick, Amstadter, McCauley, Ruggiero & Kilpatrick, 2012)
  • Five times as likely to suffer depression (Zinzow et al, 2012)
  • 1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college (The Campus Sexual Assault Study (CSA), 2007)
  • Incapacitated assault- sexual assault while the victim is drunk, passed out, or under the influence of drugs- is particularly common (Kilpatrick, Resnick, Ruggiero, Conoscenti & McCauley, 2007)
  • College survivors suffer higher rates of PTSD, depression, and alcohol and drug abuse (Kilpatrick, 2007)
  • On average only 12% of student victims report assault to law enforcement (Kilpatrick, 2007)
  • Sexual assault is extremely underreported
  • Around 36% of rapes and/or sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement (Planty, 2013)
  • The rate of male report of sexual assault is even lower (Hart & Rennsion, 2003)
  • False report is extremely rare
  • Only 2-10% of reported rapes are false allegations (Lisak, Gardinier, Nicksa & Cote, 2010)
  • Prosecution and conviction rates are extremely low
  • 2/3 of victims have their legal cases dismissed (Campbell, Wasco, Ahrens, Sefl & Barnes, 2001)
  • Only 12% of reported rapes lead to an arrest (Planty, 2013)
  • There is an enormous backlog of rape kit testing, hindering prosecution (Ritter, 2011; Nelson et al, 2013)
Men are more likely to commit sexual violence in communities where sexual violence is not punished (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2004). It is for this reason that community members must SPEAK OUT against sexual violence. While there is no one profile that fits all offenders, researchers have found a number of risk factors for sexual violence, particularly on college campuses.
  • Contributing factors to sexual violence in campus culture (Warshaw & Parrot, 1991; Sanday, 1996; Carr & Van Deusen, 2004)
  • Rape myths (e.g., rape is usually committed by a stranger; rape only happens after 2 AM)
  • Rigid gender role socialization (e.g., men should be more aggressive than women; women should be more passive than men)
  • Negative gender-based attitudes (e.g., women are worth less than men)
  • Lack of sanctions/punishment following sexual violence
  • Peer tolerance (e.g., rape culture)
  • All-male membership groups (e.g., fraternities; athletic teams)
  • Rate of rape on college campuses (male self-report)
  • College men acknowledge forced intercourse at a rate of 5-15% and sexual aggression at a rate of 15-25% (Koss, Gidycz, and Wisniewski, 198; Malamuth, Sockloskie, Koss and Tanaka, 1991)
  • In a large sample, 8.8% of college men admitted they had committed rape or attempted rape (Ouimette & Riggs, 1998)
  • Attitudes towards rape on college campuses
  • In a 1981 sample confirming previous research, 21-35% of males indicated some likelihood of committing rape if they would not be caught (Malamuth, 1981)
  • College male rapists tend to believe that rape can be justified under certain conditions (e.g., if dinner is paid for) (Kanin, 1985)
  • The role of alcohol
  • College rapists report providing alcohol to victims in order to facilitate the assault (Abbey, McAuslan & Ross, 1998)
  • Alcohol is both a factor leading to and excuse for sexual aggression by college men (Abbey, Zawacki, Buck, Clinton & McAuslan, 2001)
  • Perpetrators who drink prior to an assault are more likely to believe that alcohol increases their sex drive and are more likely to think a woman's drinking signals an interest in sex (Zawacki et al, 2003)
  • Alcohol is a mediating variable (e.g., it explains) high rates of rape by fraternity and athletic team members (Koss & Gaines, 1993)

In North Carolina, sexual assault is prosecuted as first- or second-degree rape, first- or second-degree sexual offense, or sexual battery. Specific legal information is provided below.NC General Statute 14-27 delineates the following: 

First degree rape:
A person is guilty of rape in the first degree if the person engages in vaginal intercourse:
  1. With a victim who is a child under the age of 13 years and the defendant is at least 12 years old and is at least four years older than the victim; or
  2. With another person by force and against the will of the other person, and:
    1. Employs or displays a dangerous or deadly weapon or an article which the other person reasonably believes to be a dangerous or deadly weapon; or
    2. Inflicts serious personal injury upon the victim or another person; or
    3. The person commits the offense aided and abetted by one or more other persons.
Second-degree rape
A person is guilty of rape in the second degree if the person engages in vaginal intercourse with another person:
  1. By force and against the will of the other person; or
  2. Who is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know the other person is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.
First-degree sexual offense
A person is guilty of a sexual offense in the first degree if the person engages in a sexual act:
  1. With a victim who is a child under the age of 13 years and the defendant is at least 12 years old and is at least four years older than the victim; or
  2. With another person by force and against the will of the other person, and:
    1. Employs or displays a dangerous or deadly weapon or an article which the other person reasonably believes to be a dangerous or deadly weapon; or
    2. Inflicts serious personal injury upon the victim or another person; or
    3. The person commits the offense aided and abetted by one or more other persons.
Second-degree sexual offense
A person is guilty of a sexual offense in the second degree if the person engages in a sexual act with another person:
  1. By force and against the will of the other person; or
  2. Who is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know that the other person is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.
Sexual battery
A person is guilty of sexual battery if the person, for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, engages in sexual contact with another person:
  1. By force and against the will of the other person; or
  2. Who is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless, and the person performing the act knows or should reasonably know that the other person is mentally disabled, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.
*14-27.8- A person may be prosecuted whether or not the victim is the person's legal spouse at the time of the commission of the alleged rape or sexual offense.*14-27.10- The offense shall be completed upon proof of penetration. Penetration, however slight, is vaginal intercourse or anal intercourse.
 

Resources

  • Albemarle Hopeline (24-hour rape crisis hotline) 252.338.3011
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline (24-hour hotline) 1.800.799.7233
  • National Dating Abuse Helpline (24-hour peer advocate dating abuse hotline) 1.866.331.9474
  • National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (24-hour hour violence prevention hotline; dedicated to LGBTQ individuals) 212.714.1141
  • One Love MyPlan App (tool for determining whether a relationship is unhealthy and for safety planning) Available for free download in iTunes App Store and Google Play
  • Free Expression Hotline Number 1-804-993-4795
Fiction
  • The Awakening, by Kate Chopin - A short novel about a Southern woman with unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood viewed as a landmark work of early feminism.
  • Beloved, by Toni Morrison - A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the emotional and familial devastation caused by slavery set in post-Civil War America.
  • The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison - Written when Morrison was teaching at Howard University, the novel is about a tortured year in the life of a young girl in Ohio struggling with an inferiority complex about being black.
  • Collected Poems of Audre Lorde, by Audre Lorde - A collection of political and non-political poetry by Audre Lorde, a radical feminist thinker.
  • A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen - A play about a woman striving to find herself amidst 19th-century marriage and gender norms.
  • The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin - A science fiction novel regarding the development of an instantaneous communications device in a fictional universe. If you are interested in science fiction and/or fantasy, le Guin has written a number of respected works in this genre.
  • The Edible Woman, by Margaret Atwood - A novel about a woman who feels detached from reality and from herself following her engagement, and who begins identifying with food and becomes unable to eat.
  • For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, by Ntosake Shange - An experimental series of poems about obstacles faced by black women throughout their lives, including love, abandonment, domestic violence, poetry, and rape.
  • The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - A dystopian novel about reproductive politics set in a theocratic dictatorship of the future.
  • The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton - A novel set in turn-of-the-century New York about wealth, social hypocrisy, and prescribed gender roles.
  • The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros - A coming-of-age novel about a young Latina growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago written in vignettes
  • Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi - A graphic autobiographical novel about growing up in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution.
  • The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant - A fictional retelling of the Biblical story of Dinah, giving Dinah a voice of her own.
  • Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson - A novel about the assault and recovery of a high school survivor of rape.
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston - A novel about the life of a woman in central south Florida during the early 20th Century. One of TIME's top 100 English-language novels.
  • The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche - A short story collection by a Nigerian author featuring stories set both in Africa and the United States.
  • Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, by Sandra Cisneros - A short story collection about the experiences of women of Mexican heritage negotiating American influences in their lives.
 
  • Nonfiction
  • Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, by bell hooks - An examination of the combined effects of racism and sexism on black women, the civil rights movement, and feminist movements in the United States.
  • Feminism is for Everybody, by bell hooks - An analysis of feminist politics and theory of genuinely feminist politics.
  • Gender Trouble, by Judith Butler - A work on gender identity feminism, and intersectionality viewed as some of the first work in queer theory.
  • I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde - A collection of writings by Audre Lorde, a poet and radical feminist.
  • Sex, Power and Consent: Youth Culture and the Unwritten Rules, by Anastasia Powell - A discussion of real-life experiences of young women and men negotiating love, sex, relationships, and consent.
  • Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, by Audre Lorde - A collection of writings by feminist writer Audre Lorde on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class.
  • This Bridge Called My Back, edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa - An anthology of writings by feminist women of color viewed as the first major work of third-wave feminism.
  • Women, Race & Class, by Angela Davis - A study of the women's movement in the United States from the 1860s-present day that documents the racist and classist biases of the movement's leaders.
  • Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape, by Jaclyn Friedman & Jessica Valenti - A work on shifting the paradigm from “no means no” to positive consent, featuring a variety of perspectives on female sexuality and pleasure and on violence prevention.
  • http://www.avp.org/index.php The Anti-Violence Project focuses on ending violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected individuals. Their website contains many resources specifically produced for LGBTQ individuals and includes a lot of information on intimate partner violence in LGBTQ relationships. Their 24-hour hotline number can be found on the (link) Hotline Resources page.
  • http://www.nsvrc.org The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, funded by the Centers for Disease Control, is designed to provide creative resources and scholarly research in a collaborative format to violence prevention specialists around the country. 
  • www.knowyourix.org A campaign aiming to educate college students (and educators) about their rights under Title IX. The campaign was begun by a collective of survivors of college assault and features information on Title IX rights, advocacy, grievance proceedings, and complaint filing.
  • www.rainn.org RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) is the country's largest anti-sexual violence organization. Their website contains an abundance of information on many different issues related to sexual violence.
  • http://www.loveisrespect.org A website dedicated to educating individuals on healthy relationships and on how to handle abusive relationships. For a guide to safety planning, please see here.
  • http://nomore.org/ The NO MORE effort is a nation-wide media campaign to end domestic violence and sexual assault. A number of major violence prevention initiatives in the United States are involved in the campaign, and it provides materials and information on a variety of topics related to sexual violence.
  •  https://www.addictions.com/domestic-violence-resources/ At Addictions.com their mission is to help individuals and families facing substance use disorders find the treatment they need. They hope that by providing a better understanding of addiction, and co-occurring disorders, they can remove the barriers to treatment many people face.
The effects of sexual violence may include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, altered sleeping eating patterns, decreased academic performance, and many others.
The Counseling Center offers personal, social, career and spiritual counseling to all students on the ECSU campus for as many sessions as requested. The Center can also provide off-campus referrals if needed.
Importantly, the Counseling  Center is not subject to Clery Act and Title IX regulations. This means that information provided to the Center remains completely confidential (unless there is a risk of an individual harming himself or another person). 
 
The effects of sexual violence may include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, altered sleeping eating patterns, decreased academic performance, and many others.
Student Health Services can provide diagnoses and treatment of acute and general medical problems relating to experienced sexual violence. Any information shared with medical professionals during treatment will remain confidential. 
 
The Office of Dean of Students houses the University's disciplinary and judicial boards. You can speak with with the Office of the Dean of Students if you choose to pursue a case on-campus. Please note that cases involving sexual misconduct, stalking, sexual assault, domestic violence, and relationship violence are never handled by student disciplinary boards. The Office is dedicated to providing students with the best possible college experience and will work with students in a variety of ways to make sure that they feel safe on campus if a problem is reported. 
 
Title IX is a federal law that protects students and staff from discrimination based on any factor, including race and gender. Sexual discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual assault. If you have experienced sexual assault, you can consult with a Title IX representative at the university and file a complaint. While the sooner an incident is reported, the better, you may make a Title IX complaint at any time following the assault. Retaliation against an individual filing a complaint is strictly prohibited, so know that if you report an incident, it is illegal to act adversely against you in any way because of it.  
 
The University's police force is tasked with making campus as safe as possible. While you are never required to report an experience of sexual violence, know that the University Police Department is a valuable resource that is available for you.
 
Contact The PACE Center

Ridley Student Center, Rm. 202A

252-335-8535
pace_center@ecsu.edu.

If you need immediate aid and/or are not safe at this time, please call 911.

Note on confidentiality: The PACE Center is subject to Clery Act and Title IX regulations.