Did you know?
  • Sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, family upbringing, socio-economic status.
  • Sexual violence can exist in a dating relationship.
  • The majority of victims of sexual violence know the person who has hurt them.
  • Alcohol is the number one date rape drug.
  • Sexual violence is against the law.
  • Sexual violence is antithetical to our Siena values and to our vision of what it means to live and learn in a safe, respectful and inclusive community.
  • Sexual violence is also violation of Siena College's Code of Conduct. More information about sexual violence can be found in the Sexual Misconduct & Interpersonal Violence Policy, which can be found in the Siena Life Student Handbook or online. 
 DEFINITIONS

Acts of Sexual Violence

Includes, but is not limited to, rape, sexual assault, and sexual coercion.  Acts of sexual violence are physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person's will or where a person is incapable of giving consent for reasons, such as, but not limited to, the victim's age, the victim's use of drugs or alcohol, or the victim's inability to give consent due to intellectual or other disability.

Rape

Rape is penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is an offense that meets the definition of rape, fondling, incest, or statutory rape as stated in the uniform crime reporting system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Fondling

Fondling is the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, forcibly and/or against that person's will or not forcibly or against the person's will in instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent.

Sexual Coercion

Sexual coercion is the act of using force, threats, alcohol or drugs, and/or using physical, emotional or verbal pressure to have sexual contact with someone against his or her will or, where a person is incapable of giving consent for reasons including, but not limited to, the victim's use of drugs or alcohol, or the victim's inability to give consent due to intellectual or other disability. Sexual contact includes kissing, patting, fondling, oral sex, genital touching, and any other sexual behavior that makes the victim feel uncomfortable.

Sexual Exploitation

Sexual exploitation occurs when a person takes non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another to benefit or advantage anyone other than the one being exploited, and that behavior does not otherwise constitute another form of sexual misconduct. Examples of sexual exploitation include, but are not limited to, prostitution, non-consensual video or audio taping of sexual or other private activity, exceeding the boundaries of consent (e.g., permitting others to hide in a closet and observe consensual sexual activity, videotaping of a person using a bathroom), engaging in voyeurism, or engaging in consensual sexual activity with another person while knowingly infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or other sexually transmitted disease (STD) and without informing the other person of such infection.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and or other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Stalking

Stalking is engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Dating Violence

Dating violence is violence committed by a person who (a) has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim and (b) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: length of the relationship, type of relationship and frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim/survivor, by a person with whom the victim/survivor shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim/survivor as a spouse, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim/survivor under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim/survivor who is protected from the person’s acts under the domestic violence laws of the jurisdiction.