Talk to Someone
Understanding Confidentiality
You may want to talk with a trusted someone about what happened: a friend, advisor, supervisor, instructor, etc. To help ensure a safe and supportive campus environment, LSU has enforced obligatory reporting by Responsible Employees of sexual misconduct on campus, so you should know about how to seek confidential support.
Know that there are some individuals on campus who are permitted to keep the information you share confidential while others (most university employees, including Teaching Assistants and Residential Assistants) are mandated to report incidents of sexual assault to the university.
Privacy means that information related to a report of misconduct will be shared with a limited circle of individuals who “need to know” in order to assist in the active review, investigation, resolution of the report, and related issues. Information provided to a non-confidential resource will be relayed only as necessary for the Title IX Coordinator to facilitate an investigation and/or seek a resolution.
Confidential Resources
There are several individuals on campus who are confidential by reasons of their job and the law. With few exceptions, the following confidential resources are not mandated to report or disclose information to the university/Title IX office:
- The Lighthouse Program
The Lighthouse Program provides free and confidential interpersonal violence prevention, support, and advocacy to the LSU campus community. The program assists student-survivors of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking, and harassment. - LSU Student Health Center
- LSU Mental Health and Counseling Services
Counseling services are strictly confidential; clinic staff do not report sexual violence incidents to administration. - Medical Clinic
If you have experienced sexual violence, you are encouraged to see a medical professional to have a forensic exam. Important to note: If you are 18 or older, you do not have to report, receive the medical exams, or press charges. For evidence collection purposes, you typically have up to 120 hours after an assault to receive a forensic medical exam. During that time, If you receive the exam and are unsure whether you want to proceed with reporting to police, the evidence collection kit will be stored for up to one year.
- LSU Mental Health and Counseling Services
- Psychological Services Center
The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is an on-campus unit of the LSU Department of Psychology that offers testing and outpatient psychotherapy services for adults, adolescents, and children. - Ombudsperson The LSU Ombuds Office is a confidential, impartial, independent and informal process for faculty, staff, administration, and students to seek assistance and guidance to resolve barriers to productivity and to increase the quality of their experience at LSU.
Confidential Support
LSU is committed to providing victims and survivors of power-based trauma with confidential support and resources outside of health and religious related settings.
Off-campus Resources
In addition to on-campus resources, there are several local and national options that provide support and guidance to individuals who have experience sexual harassment and/or any form of sexual misconduct.
Local
- STAR (Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response)
- Woman’s Hospital
- IRIS Domestic Violence Center
- Baton Rouge Police Department
- LaFASA (Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault)