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Facts About Rape & Sexual Assault

Rape and sexual assault happen at UCSB, just like at any other campus. Learn the facts.

Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact including touching of breasts and genitals, oral copulation, anal penetration, penetration with a foreign object, and penile/vaginal penetration.

To engage in sexual activity you must first get consent. Consent is a verbal "yes" or active, positive participation from all parties involved. A person's silence does not mean that they have consented. You need to make sure that the person that you want to have sex with wants to be there having sex with you. If you do not get consent, it's rape.

Sexual violence is almost always committed by men against women. However, men can be assaulted, and sexual violence can and does happen between people of the same gender.

Sexual assaults are usually perpetrated by someone that the woman is acquainted with or who she knows well, and they usually occur in a place where the woman would normally feel safe and comfortable, like her home or the home of a friend.

One in four women will experience a sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault by the time she graduates from college. One in twelve men say they've forced a woman to have sex, but they don't realize that this is rape. These numbers apply not only to UCSB, but to ALL colleges in the U.S.

Because of the fear of being ostracized, blamed, and not believed after surviving a sexual assault, only about 5% of sexual assault survivors report the crime to the police.

Alcohol does not cause rape, but almost all acquaintance rapes involve alcohol. Stay sober or drink responsibly. Rape is never the survivor's fault. Rape is not the punishment for poor judgment or high-risk behavior. The responsibility for committing rape lies completely with the perpetrator. Just as you would still be responsible for your actions if you chose to drive drunk and ended up hurting someone because of it, you are responsible for your actions if you choose to sexually assault someone while you are drunk.

Sexual violence is rooted in widely held beliefs that confuse sex and violence. Sexual assault is not sex; it is violence. Watch out for sexist myths like "She asked for it," "She's such a tease or slut" or "All men are rapists." Watch out for racist myths like "Black men are more prone to rape than other men." Watch out for homophobic myths like "Gay men are child molesters" or "Any guy who gets assaulted must be gay." These are NOT true, and they only serve to perpetuate rape culture.

You have the right to report sexual assault or relationship violence to the police, and the right to ask the Office of Student Life to investigate an incident through the campus judicial process. You also have the right to get help from the resources below even if you don't report to the police. Both the police and all resources will help women, men, and transgendered people, including lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. Sexual assault and abuse do occur in same-sex relationships.

UCSB Resources

Rape Prevention Education Program (at the Women's Center)-staff are available to talk with people affected by sexual assault, abusive dating or domestic relationships, sexual harassment, and stalking. The Center also offers education programs, library materials, information, support, and advocacy.	893-3778
UCSB Counseling Services-Personal counseling for women and men on the issues of molestation or assault	893-4411
UC Police Department	893-3446
In an emergency	911

SB Rape Crisis Center: 24 hour crisis hotline	564-3696
Self defense classes, non-crisis information and support	963-6832
Domestic Violence Solutions	964-5245
CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation)	965-2376
Isla Vista Foot Patrol	681-4179
Legal Aid Clinic (for temporary restraining orders)	963-6754