Immediate Help

The Sexual Assault Response Team

The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) consists of Gustavus staff and faculty who have been trained in responding to victims of sexual assault. SART members will work with you to keep you safe, advocate for you and help you access resources both on and off campus. They will keep the circumstances of the assault as confidential as possible. If you have been sexually assaulted you are strongly encouraged to contact a SART member by calling 933-6868.

Sexual Assault Response Team members

Immediate help

If you have been sexually assaulted by an acquaintance, partner, family member or stranger, it was not your fault.  There are things you can do right now to help yourself and to facilitate your recovery.

• Find a safe place away from the attacker
• Tell a person whom you trust, or call one of the following resources for immediate support
  • SART: 507-933-6868
  • Campus Safety:  507-933-8888
  • Dean of Students Office, Campus Center: 507-933-7526
  • Counseling Center, Campus Center:  507-933-7027
  • Health Services:  507-933-7630
  • Crime Victim Services, Inc:  1-800-630-1425
• Have your medical needs attended to at a clinic or in the emergency room. Contact Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital in Mankato at 507-625-4031 for an evidentiary exam. Health Services can also carry out a non-evidentiary exam with little or no cost to you, and will keep your visit confidential.
• You have the right to report this assault. Consider whether you’d like to make a police report.  If there is any chance that you want to report the assault to the police now or in the future:
  • Do not shower or douche
  • Save the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault in a paper bag
  • Save sheets, blankets or anything else that may have evidence in a paper bag.  Do not throw anything away or try to clean up
  • Go to the emergency room where you can receive a sexual assault exam performed by specially trained female nurses.  The closest such ER is at Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital in Mankato. This exam can be performed up to 72 hours after an assault, but is most successful if performed within the first 24 hours
  • The county will pay for an evidentiary exam regardless of your insurance coverage
  • The Nicollet County police will be informed that an assault has taken place, and they will come to the hospital to speak with you.  Everything that you say to the police is held confidential, and they will not press charges without your consent
  • Call Crime Victim Services, Inc to speak with an advocate at 1-800-630-1425.  An advocate can meet you at the hospital to provide support and answer any questions you might have
• Consider joining a support group for survivors of sexual assault. You can contact the Counseling Center or Crime Victim Services, Inc for more information on support groups.
• Learn more about sexual assault