Common Q&A’s

Safeline is specifically for people who have experienced or are experiencing interpersonal violence or identity-based bias and harassment. If you have questions about resources for experiences like these, need to do safety planning, or want someone to process through experiences or triggers related to experiences of violence, bias, and/ or harassment, the Safeline advocate will be the best resource for you.

The counselor on call is a line for mental health crises. If you are experiencing panic attacks, need access to mental health services, or having thoughts about self-harm, the counselor on call will be the best resource for you.

When you call Safeline, the call goes to campus dispatch. The person who picks up the phone will ask if you are safe and for a phone number that you can be called back at. Within 10 minutes an advocate will call you back.

Be patient with yourself and know that confidential advocacy resources are here for you when you are ready. Know that you can choose to call Safeline without ever disclosing your identity to the advocate, and you can always call with someone you trust and ask them to speak if that feels safer to you.

Other options include talking to other confidential resources you may already trust and be connected with like a counselor, a Chaplin or leader of a religious organization, or a community organization such as CrossRoads or Family Abuse Services.

It can be extremely difficult to see a friend who might be experiencing relationship violence, sexual violence, or stalking and Safeline is available to you, too. Friends, family, and others can call Safeline to process their emotions related to the person’s experience. You can also call to learn more about the resources that may be available to your friend/ family member/ student. That being said, it is important to remember that each person responds to these experiences differently and it is their choice whether to use those resources or not.

YES, absolutely. An advocate can work with you any time to determine safety planning, talk about your options for reporting, accompany you to court, meetings with police, or Title IX, etc. You are a valued member of this community and your safety is vital.

Reporting to police allows survivors to potentially pursue criminal/ legal measures against their perpetrator and/ or provides opportunities for resources such as crime victims compensation. Title IX allows survivors to pursue measures within the university, such as changes to living accommodations, class withdrawals, and other remedies and/ or allows survivors to potentially pursue measures of accountability through the university such as fines, suspension, education around the student code of conduct, etc.

No. The survivor can choose if and who they would like to report to and it is not expected that they report to one in order to receive a thorough investigation from the other.

Reporting can feel intimidating and your feelings are completely valid. If you would like to go to the police or report to Title IX, you can call Safeline at 336-278-3333 to ask for an advocate to go with you. Advocates are trained to honor your choices and rights, they can also work police or Title IX to address concerns if your rights are violated or if you are not being treated with the respect and credibility you deserve.

No, you can file an initial report to the police without pressing charges and you can the criminal investigation to be stopped any time.

All Title IX reports are kept private and not shared with others. Your friends, family, supervisors, and professors will not be contacted or notified based on filing a report.

If you choose to pursue a Title IX investigation, only the perpetrator and any relevant person(s) involved will be notified.

Survivors can choose if and how they would like to proceed if their experience is reported to Title IX and there are few times in which Title IX will pursue an investigation without the survivor choosing to.

If a survivor pursues an investigation or if their experience is being investigated, the survivor is allowed to have as much or as little participation in the process as possible. They can also choose not to participate in the process at all.

Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (or SAFE) exams are what are commonly referred to as rape kits. During the exam, a nurse trained in working with survivors of assault will conduct an interview and then collect any evidence that they are able to by coming through your hair, swabbing your mouth, finger nails, and other areas. It can also include a pelvic exam. Survivors are able to choose which parts of the exam they want to participate in.

A survivor can receive medical care after an experience violence at any point, but receiving care immediately gives survivors the best chance of protecting their health and gathering information if the survivor decides to pursue legal charges. If you have been sexually assaulted Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) exams can be conducted up to 5 days after an assault.

No, you will not have to report to the police if you go to the hospital. You can tell the police you are choosing not to report at this time and you can have your SAFE exam stored anonymously for up to a year.

After the assault, avoid using the restroom, drinking/ eating, brushing your teeth, and/ or showering. This might be uncomfortable but provides the best chances of evidence collection. If you have already done one or some of these things, please do not let it detour you from seeking medical attention, there may still be evidence to collect and you may have other medical needs, such as pregnancy/ STI prevention.

If you want to change clothes, bring the clothes you were wearing while you were assaulted in a paper bag so that they can be collected as evidence. DO NOT WASH THEM.

If you go to Alamance Regional Medical Center, an advocate from CrossRoads will be called. If you would like an advocate from Elon to meet you instead, you, a friend, or hospital staff can call Safeline at 336-278-3333.

If you have experienced sexual assault, you will not be charged for the evidence collection kit or treatment related to the assault such as pregnancy and STI testing or prevention. However, patients will be billed for the ER triage and any labs/ test required such as x-rays. This can cost about $800. We recognize that the cost of the treatment is intimidating but encourage you to still get treatment. Survivors will not have to pay immediately and there are ways to reduce the cost such as applying for funding to cover necessary expenses, working out payment plans, and crime victims compensation.