Victims of sexual abuse on Eastern’s campus and in the area have the Sexual Assault Counseling Information Service (SACIS) to turn to for help.

SACIS is a grant-funded organization with master’s level counseling, which offers services for preschool children to senior citizens who have experienced sexual abuse.

The counseling sessions are individualized for each person.

At the first meeting, the confidentiality law is explained and a service plan is set up, depending on what issues the victim would like to work on first.

“We allow them to make their own decisions,” said Bonnie Buckley, the executive director of SACIS. Buckley joined SACIS in 1979, two years after it began.

SACIS offers group and individual counseling, whichever the victim feels comfortable with.

Sexual assault victims are all different ages, but Buckley said most victims are children.

Some victims who seek counseling have just been assaulted. In that case, they normally go to the emergency room for examination, and a member of SACIS will go to the emergency room upon the victim’s request.

“If they want us in the room, we’ll be there,” Buckley said.

SACIS also provides advocacy with the police.

Other victims have been assaulted years before they go to counseling. These victims have tried to deal with the trauma by burying it in the back of their minds.

There are several symptoms sexual abuse victims have, but not everyone displays all the symptoms.

Most, but not all, sexual assault victims go through the rape trauma syndrome, Buckley said. The rape trauma syndrome is divided into three stages.

The first stage is called “acute.” This occurs right after the assault, when the victim is in shock and disbelief.

The second stage is the pseudo-adjustment stage, where the victim is in denial and tries to hide the pain of what happened.

The third stage is when the victim comes to the realization that he or she can no longer ignore it and gets help.

Victims who try to put their experience of being sexually assaulted on the back burner often acquire eating disorders, such as overeating. They feel that if they overeat, they are less likely to be attractive and thus less likely to be assaulted.

Sleep disorders are common symptoms of people who have been sexually abused. Some can’t get enough sleep because they have nightmares about the incident when they try to sleep. Others sleep too much to avoid the painful memories.

“Once we had four Eastern students who were sleeping between 16 and 20 hours a day,” Buckley said.

Flashbacks, anxiety and panic attacks are experienced by many sexual assault victims because they have been thinking about the assault.

Some victims no longer desire intimacy because they associate sex with being raped.

This causes the victims to no longer trust members of the opposite sex. Also, they may shy away from any physical contact, even hugs.

Victims who are assaulted by people they know, such as boyfriends, relatives or friends, have the most difficult time trusting others.

“How can you trust someone when the person who is supposed to love you hurts you?” Buckley said.

Promiscuity is another result of being sexually assaulted, as well as drinking and taking drugs. These are ways victims cope with the trauma of sexual assault, Buckley said.

Women just entering college are at the highest risk of being sexually assaulted.

Most sexual assaults occur within the first six weeks of school to female freshmen. This is because college is normally a freshman’s first time away from home and in order to fit in, they attend parties where alcohol is served.

The highest percentage of sexual assaults have been alcohol-related. This is attributed to the fact that intoxicated victims are slower in their motor skills and thus are not able to defend themselves, Buckley said.

Tom Edwards, a junior psychology major and the president of SACIS, offers advice to students who attend parties.

“Never leave a drink for any reason, even a nonalcoholic beverage,” Edwards said.

He also says that people need a plan of who they are going with, how they will get home and how drunk they will get.

If students need to walk on campus at night, they need to be in a group. They need to stay focused on getting home, and not let their minds wander, he said.

It is also a good idea to carry pepper spray or mace to be protected from attackers.

“Don’t attach the pepper spray to your keys, carry it in your hands,” Edwards said.

Kirsten Johnson, a junior psychology major and the vice president of SACIS, agrees. She adds that if a female meets a man at the bar, she should get his number and call him later so that they can meet when they are not drunk.

However, if a person is sexually assaulted, Edwards said they should not feel guilty.

“No matter what the circumstances, it’s still (the abuser’s) fault, not the victim’s,” said Edwards.

Students need to keep in mind that 80 percent of rapes are “acquaintance rapes,” meaning boyfriends, friends and classmates are potential rapists. Students need to be careful when they go to bars and parties, even with people they know, she said.

The best thing friends and relatives of sexual assault victims can do is be there for them.

They can also offer names of places victims can go for counseling.

For more information, call SACIS at 348-5033.