Members of the Ramapo Community,
Last semester, our community experienced serious incidents involving Ramapo College students as both survivors and alleged perpetrators of sexual violence. As a new semester gets underway, I would like to take this opportunity as the Coordinator of the Assault Contact Team to re-affirm our campus commitment to support survivors of sexual assault and to create a safer campus for everyone.
To all survivors on campus: our community stands behind you. We cannot undo the harm that occurred, but we pledge to make every effort to eliminate violence on our campus and support you in your recovery. There are many on-campus resources you can utilize including the Assault Contact Team for 24-hour response, the Counseling Center for confidential ongoing support, and the Women’s Center for non-judgmental peer listening and advocacy. Off campus, the HealingSPACE Sexual Violence Resource Center offers a free 24-hour hotline (201.487.2227), medical and legal accompaniments, and survivor support groups. All of these resources are available to you regardless of whether an assault happened recently or many years ago.
Creating a safer campus requires that every student who chooses to be sexually active understands the responsibility to obtain enthusiastic consent from his or her partner. Consent is a voluntary and unambiguous agreement by each participant to engage in sexual activity.* Silence does not imply consent. A person incapacitated by alcohol or other drugs cannot give consent. A person who feels coerced or threatened cannot give consent. Sexual intercourse without consent is sexual assault. Sexual assault is an affront to the well-being and inherent dignity of our students. It is a crime of power and control that threatens our community trust and civility. Those who violate this trust will be held accountable.
A safe campus is essential for Ramapo College to fulfill its mission of academic excellence. Every student is entitled to live and to learn in an environment free from violence. We are all responsible for ensuring the safety of our campus and knowing our responsibility to respect the integrity of others. Together, we will strive to ensure that our campus is welcoming, safe and secure for every member of our community.
Sincerely,
Kat McGee
Assault Contact Team Coordinator
Assistant Director of the Center for Student Involvement and Coordinator of the Women's Center
*The full definition of consent may be found in the 2014-2015 Ramapo College Student Handbook.
