If you were raped or sexually harassed, would you know where to go?
Most UW-Madison students don't.
But victims can turn to the Dane County Rape Crisis Center for help.
The RCC helps victims deal with rape, incest, molestation and sexual harassment by providing therapy and other services. But despite the RCC's presence at UW-Madison and numerous pamphlets and brochures it has posted around campus, many students are unaware of its existence.
\I would like to think that the RCC is well-known among students, but in reality I don't think so,"" said Rape Crisis Center volunteer Sarah Leadley.
Of course, no one wants to think they need this service, but sadly this is not true. Research done at UW-Madison suggests one in eight women will be sexually assaulted during their time at the university.
The RCC is a program that serves Dane County and is located at 905 University Ave. Addressing sexual assault is rare, according to RCC director Kelly Anderson. However, the benefit of allowing the RCC on campus is that it is easier for victims who do not want the university involved to come forth.
""I operate on the premise that this is a human issue, not a university issue,"" Assistant Dean of Students Yolanda Garza said.
Garza works specifically to address issues of violence against women.
Kelly Douglas is the counselor advocate for the satellite office. Douglas runs a support group at the campus women's center, provides individual counseling and works with other campus groups on different projects and campaigns.
Rape crisis centers were born out of the Women's Movement of the 1970s. Some Madison women decided to address this issue and opened the Dane County Crisis center in 1973. Since then, the center has continued to grow and with grants from the federal government, they have been able to expand the services they offer.
The Dane County RCC's mission is ""to work to eliminate sexual violence and victimization and enhance self-determination by providing a supportive environment for all people in the Dane County community,"" and it accomplishes this with its telephone crisis line. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can provide victims with immediate support.
""As a phone counselor, I listen, validate, answer questions, provide information and resources, give referrals and provide support for callers,"" Leadley said.
Currently, the RCC receives approximately 150 to 200 calls a month and can be reached at (608) 251-RAPE.
The crisis line volunteers, all of whom are women and many of whom are students, undergo 40 hours of training before answering calls. They are trained to help calm victims who are in highly emotional states and also learn to counsel friends, spouses and family members.
""Creating a community around victims is what our services are aimed at doing,"" Anderson said.
Crisis line volunteers often counsel a spouse who is having a hard time dealing with anger or a friend of a victim who wants to help them come forth.
""Crisis line volunteers are there if there is a crisis in someone's life or even if someone is having a difficult night,"" crisis line counselor Marybeth Rigali said.
Besides helping victims individually, the RCC also works to educate the public and increase awareness about the prevalence and underreporting of this crime.
They also provide professional training on sexual assault issues to law enforcement, clergy, counselors, university staff and social service agencies.
""We pretend like sexual assault is rare, but 25 percent of the society is affected,"" Anderson said. In order to make a change she believes ""we need to get the word out.""
