Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of sexual assault.
According to research from the American Association of Universities, more than one in 10 college students are victims of sexual assault at some point when attending their university. The University defines sexual assault as any sexual act where there is a lack of clear, communicated and voluntary consent on the part of all participants.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of local and University-affiliated resources a student can connect with to learn about their options, to receive support and medical care and to seek corrective action if they are a victim of sexual assault during their time at the University.
Medical Care
In the hours and days after an assault takes place, survivors are best served by immediate medical care. This care can include prophylactic medications for sexually transmitted infections and diseases, a pregnancy risk evaluation and emergency contraception measures, or a variety of other time-sensitive treatments.
All community members can receive emergency medical care at the Medical Center on eastern Grounds — which is open 24/7 — and students also have the additional option to visit the Medical Services department of Student Health and Wellness at Brandon Avenue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. In the days after an assault, a student can schedule these appointments online via the HealthyHoos portal, though the SHW website also encourages victims to call if a same-day appointment is unavailable, noting they will “make time” for a survivor.
The Medical Center and SHW are also the only two locations in Charlottesville where a student can request and receive a sexual assault forensic exam from a trained sexual assault nurse examiner. These free exams are meant to assess the patient for any injuries sustained during an attack, and to coordinate the necessary physical, psychological and other care. During this exam, the medical professional will also attempt to collect and preserve DNA evidence of an attacker which a victim can, but is not required to, disclose to relevant authorities at a later date.
Counseling
The Violence Prevention and Advocacy department at SHW, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, offers a “safe and confidential space” for a victim of sexual assault to share their experience. This relatively new service, created in 2025, also helps to assist victims with navigating available resources for reporting abuse or receiving subsequent treatment and care.
The Counseling & Psychological Services clinic at SHW is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. CAPS offers a range of mental health services for students, including both individual and group therapy and psychiatric care to treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. All students who are victims of sexual violence can utilize this resource.
Similarly, the University’s Faculty & Employee Assistance Program is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. It offers free confidential assessments, short-term counseling and referral to other services for “a wide variety of personal concerns” for faculty, staff and other employees. FEAP has two physical locations in Charlottesville, one at Arlington Boulevard and one at the U.Va. West Complex of the University Hospital.
Another University-affiliated group which provides confidential long-term counseling for students, faculty and employees is the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center, which explicitly lists sexual assault as one of the patient concerns they are equipped to treat.
In order to receive the Women’s Center’s individual counseling services, patients participate in an initial session over the phone with a clinician in order to assess their needs, after which eligible patients are assigned a permanent clinician to speak with on a regular basis. According to its website, if the Women’s Center does not believe it can assist a patient with their concerns or has no remaining space, they may also waitlist an individual or refer them to another local provider within the Charlottesville community. The Women’s Center’s services are not exclusive to any particular sex or gender.
Group therapy sessions are also available at the Women’s Center for patients who are all dealing with similar concerns to speak in a group setting. The Women’s Center’s website notes that the first few sessions will be utilized for group members to introduce themselves to one another and establish trust, followed by sessions which will help them learn “communication, coping and interpersonal skills while supporting and receiving support.”
One major resource for survivors entirely seperate from the University is the Sexual Assault Resource Agency. SARA is a nonprofit organization which provides free, weekly therapy sessions for victims of sexual violence in the Charlottesville region. SARA advocates also accompany survivors to the emergency room and to pursue legal action, provide insight into other available resources and create “safety plans” with survivors to ensure they know important steps for keeping themselves safe in the event of another emergency, among a number of other services.
Title IX Office
Not only are survivors victims of a criminal offense, but such treatment also violates their right to equal protections under the law as students. Title IX is a landmark civil rights law that outlaws sex-based discrimination at educational institutions. Under Title IX, sexual assault within a university setting violates a survivor’s right to an educational space free of sex-based discrimination.
In compliance with Title IX, all colleges and universities that receive federal funding have a Title IX office and head coordinator responsible for overseeing and implementing the necessary policies and procedures for ensuring equal access to the school for all community members regardless of sex. At the University, this office is known as the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.
The Title IX office is the main University entity that investigates whether a report of sexual violence has broken the relevant school policies, enabling the University to exercise the sanctions, remedies and other corrective tools. The University’s Title IX office is not directly affiliated with any police department, which separately investigates whether an accused individual has violated the law. While the two entities may elect to coordinate, filing a formal complaint with the Title IX office is not a guarantee of its referral to University or local law enforcement.
Filing a formal complaint with the Title IX office triggers a formal investigation and hearing process which cannot exceed 140 business days, unless the process is extended for “good cause.” The University will appoint an investigator to compile existing evidence and gather additional information about the case, and a Decision Maker with experience in adjudicating cases involving sexual violence to make a final determination on whether to side with the complainant. Each individual involved is also entitled to appoint an “advisor” of their choice, who will provide counsel and conduct cross-examinations on the date of a physical hearing before the Decision Maker.
A complainant and their advisor are not required to demonstrate an alleged abuser’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt as they would in a court of law — they must only convince the Decision Maker that the alleged abuser is more likely to have committed the act than not. If a Decision Maker sides with a survivor at the conclusion of a formal complaint process, they may impose corrective action to “restore or preserve” the victim’s equal access to the University.
According to the Grievance Procedure document, remedies include imposing a no-contact directive between the victim and their abuser, or making housing, academic and employment adjustments to ensure their safety and security. Sanctions for the abuser can include the suspension, expulsion, transfer, demotion or termination of the employment contract, as well as lesser penalties such as undergoing an individualized training program or coaching session. The Title IX coordinator can also impose temporary sanctions — such as removal from Grounds for an alleged attacker — or temporary supportive measures as the formal complaint process plays out.
Notably, the University Judiciary Committee plays no role in adjudicating cases involving sexual violence.
The Title IX policies encourage quick reporting, noting that while they will always work to assist survivors and eliminate prohibited conduct, “evidence may erode, memories may fade and respondents may no longer be affiliated with the University.” The University also promises amnesty for all complainants, witnesses or respondents who report information to the Title IX office in “good faith.” Protections apply even if complainants, witnesses or respondents were engaging in “minor policy violations” of other school policies like alcohol use at the time an alleged assault in question occurred, and even if their account of events cannot later be substantiated. More information about the Title IX office’s formal complaint procedures can be found here.
Luca Bailey is a third-year College student majoring in politics from Free Union, Va. As a staffer on the news and video desks, he has covered topics ranging from the General Assembly and state elections to local politics and University governance. He is also The Cavalier Daily’s beat writer for the Charlottesville City Council.
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