吃瓜头条

To understand sexual violence, it is important to understand consent.

Sexual violence means听that someone forces or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity without their consent.

Consent is a clear and enthusiastic agreement to participate in sexual activity. If someone is not fully able to give their consent, for example, because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, then any sexual contact with them is considered sexual violence.

Please visit for information about what consent does and does not look like.

Intimate partner violence, or domestic or dating violence, is abuse or aggression in a romantic relationship. An intimate partner can be a current or former spouse or a dating partner. It can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy.听 People of any race, age, gender, sexuality, religion, education level, or economic status can become a victim – or perpetrators – of domestic or dating violence.

Domestic violence does not have to include physical violence: it can include verbal, mental, financial, economic, and other types of abuse.

Multiple can be present at the same time in abusive situations.听 Understanding how these behaviors interact is essential so you know.听 We can also take steps to get help for ourselves and who are experiencing abuse.

source: thehotline.org

is available to assist you 24/7, anywhere in Merced County; call (209) 722-4357.

National Domestic Abuse Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

(dating violence)

听(dating violence, 24-hour hotline; text; online chat)听Call听(866) 331-9474, chat at听, or text 鈥渓oveis鈥� to 22522, any time, 24/7/365

听(dating abuse)

听(domestic violence)

听(RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, a confidential hotline available via phone听at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)听and online听)

The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include:

• Attempted rape
• Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
• Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator鈥檚 body
• Penetration of the victim鈥檚 body, also known as rape

What is rape?

Rape is a form of sexual assault, but not all sexual assault is rape. The term rape is often used as a legal definition to specifically include sexual penetration without consent.

What is force?

Force doesn鈥檛 always refer to physical pressure. Perpetrators may use emotional coercion, psychological force, or manipulation to coerce a victim into non-consensual sex. Some perpetrators will use threats to force a victim to comply, such as threatening to hurt the victim or their family or other intimidation tactics.

Who are the perpetrators?

The majority of perpetrators are someone known to the victim. Approximately听are committed by someone known to the victim, such as in the case of听听or听acquaintance rape.

The term 鈥渄ate rape鈥� is sometimes used to refer to acquaintance rape. Perpetrators of acquaintance rape might be a date, but they could also be a classmate, a neighbor, a friend鈥檚 significant other, or any number of different roles. It鈥檚 important to remember that dating, instances of past intimacy, or other acts like kissing do not give someone consent for increased or continued sexual contact.

In other instances, the victim may not know the perpetrator at all. This type of sexual violence is sometimes referred to as stranger rape. Stranger rape can occur in several different ways:

• Blitz sexual assault:听when a perpetrator quickly and brutally assaults the victim with no prior contact, usually at night in a public place
• Contact sexual assault:听when a perpetrator contacts the victim and tries to gain their trust by flirting, luring the victim to their car, or otherwise trying to coerce the victim into a situation where the sexual assault will occur
• Home invasion sexual assault:听when a stranger breaks into the victim’s home to commit the assault

Survivors of both stranger rape and acquaintance rape often blame themselves for behaving in a way that encouraged the perpetrator. It鈥檚 important to remember that the victim is never to blame for the actions of a perpetrator.

Source: Rainn. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN / National Sexual Assault Hotline. United States, 2002. Web Archive.

is available to assist you 24/7, anywhere in Merced County; call (209) 722-4357.

听(RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, operates the National Sexual Assault hotline, a confidential hotline available via phone听1-800-656-HOPE (4673)听and online听)

鈥淪talking is a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear,鈥� according to the Department of Justice. Similar to crimes of sexual violence, stalking is about power and control.听

Stalking laws and definitions differ from state to state. Stalking behavior can take many forms including:听

• Making threats against someone, or that person’s family or friends听
• Non-consensual communication, such as repeated phone calls, emails, text messages, and unwanted gifts听
• Repeated physical or visual closeness, like waiting for someone to arrive at certain locations, following someone, or watching someone from a distance听
• Any other behavior used to contact, harass, track, or threaten someone

is available to assist you 24/7, anywhere in Merced County; call (209) 722-4357.

听(stalking)

One of the ways perpetrators stalk victims is through the use of technology. You may have heard the term cyberstalking to refer to these types of interactions. 鈥淯se of technology to stalk鈥� is a broad term that is used to cover all forms of stalking that rely on technology.听

Some uses of technology to stalk include:听

• Persistently sending unwanted communication through the internet, such as spamming someone鈥檚 email inbox or social media platform听
• Posting threatening or personal information about someone on public internet forums听
• Video-voyeurism, or installing video cameras that give the stalker access to someone鈥檚 personal life听
• Using GPS or other software tracking systems to monitor someone without their knowledge or consent听
• Using someone鈥檚 computer and/or spyware to track their computer activity听
• 听As technology and digital platforms continue to grow, so do the chances that someone could interact with you in an unwanted, sexual manner

Source: Rainn. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network RAINN / National Sexual Assault Hotline. United States, 2002. Web Archive.听

Confidential Support from is available to assist you 24/7, anywhere in Merced County; call (209) 722-4357.

听(stalking)

吃瓜头条 Board Policy prohibits any form of sexual violence.听 Board Policy 5500, Standards of Conduct, Administrative Procedures 5500 (Standards of Conduct), and 5520 (Student Discipline Procedures) provide the campus community with an overview of appropriate behaviors, as well as the process to address issues that arise in violation of 吃瓜头条鈥檚 student conduct policy and expectations.

吃瓜头条 conduct policies:

, Standards of Conduct

, Standards of Conduct

, Student Discipline Procedures

Title IX policies may also apply:

, Prohibition of Sexual Harassment under Title IX

, Prohibition of Sexual Harassment under Title IX

, Responding to Harassment Based on Sex under Title IX

The above Title IX policy and procedures听protect students and employees, in connection with all the academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs of the District, whether those programs take place in the District鈥檚 facilities, a District bus, or at a class or training program sponsored by the District at another location.

A person who is the victim of an act of sexual violence committed by a 吃瓜头条 student, faculty, or staff or on 吃瓜头条 property is encouraged to report directly to the Title IX Coordinator:

Kelly Avila, 吃瓜头条 Vice President of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator

(209) 384-6102

[email protected]

You may also choose to disclose a potential policy violation to the Vice President of Student Services:

Mike McCandless, Vice President of Student Services

(209) 384-6186