Policies and Definitions

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

Sexual violence means 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 rainn.org for information about what consent does and does not look like.

How Do You Know if Someone Wants to Have Sex with You? | Planned Parenthood Video

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.  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 forms of abuse can be present at the same time in abusive situations.  Understanding how these behaviors interact is essential so you know what to look for.  We can also take steps to get help for ourselves and better support otherssupport others who are experiencing abuse.

source: thehotline.org

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

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

One Love Danger Assessment App (dating violence)

Love Is Respect (dating violence, 24-hour hotline; text; online chat) Call (866) 331-9474, chat at loveisrespect.org, or text “loveis” to 22522, any time, 24/7/365

National Dating Abuse Helpline (dating abuse)

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (domestic violence)

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

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’s body
• Penetration of the victim’s 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’t 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 eight out of 10 sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, such as in the case of intimate partner sexual violence or acquaintance rape.

The term “date rape” 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’s significant other, or any number of different roles. It’s 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: when a perpetrator quickly and brutally assaults the victim with no prior contact, usually at night in a public place
• Contact sexual assault: 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: 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’s 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.

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

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

“Stalking 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,” according to the Department of Justice. Similar to crimes of sexual violence, stalking is about power and control. 

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

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

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

Stalking Resource Center (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. “Use of technology to stalk” is a broad term that is used to cover all forms of stalking that rely on technology. 

Some uses of technology to stalk include: 

• Persistently sending unwanted communication through the internet, such as spamming someone’s email inbox or social media platform 
• Posting threatening or personal information about someone on public internet forums 
• Video-voyeurism, or installing video cameras that give the stalker access to someone’s personal life 
• Using GPS or other software tracking systems to monitor someone without their knowledge or consent 
• Using someone’s computer and/or spyware to track their computer activity 
•  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. 

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

Stalking Resource Center (stalking)

Merced College Board Policy prohibits any form of sexual violence.  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 Merced College’s student conduct policy and expectations.

Merced College conduct policies:

Merced College Board Policy 5500, Standards of Conduct

Administrative Procedure 5500, Standards of Conduct

Administrative Procedure 5520, Student Discipline Procedures

Title IX policies may also apply:

Merced College Board Policy 3433, Prohibition of Sexual Harassment under Title IX

Administrative Policy 3433, Prohibition of Sexual Harassment under Title IX

Administrative Policy 3434, Responding to Harassment Based on Sex under Title IX

The above Title IX policy and procedures 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’s 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 Merced College student, faculty, or staff or on Merced College property is encouraged to report directly to the Title IX Coordinator:

Kelly Avila, Merced College Vice President of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator

(209) 384-6102

kelly.avila@mccd.edu

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