Thank you to everyone who participated in Sexual Assault Awareness Month as we learned about consent, bystander intervention, sexual assault statistics and resources. More than 100 LLCC faculty, staff and students made pledges to take action to reduce future statistics.

If you missed Annie Pettit, preventionist with the Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault, guide us about the steps and techniques we can use as active bystanders, you may watch the a recording of the presentation.

The video of pledges made by faculty, staff and students to rock the statistics is also still available.

If you have any questions, comments or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact the Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

Don’t forget — you are invited to turn up, speak up and support survivors by participating in University of Illinois Springfield’s Take Back the Night Event today, April 29, at 7 p.m.

The event will start outside the Union on the UIS campus. Weather permitting, the event will include a march across campus and end with a gathering inviting sexual assault survivors to share their stories and be supported. The rain location for Take Back the Night is in the Ballroom.

If you want to make posters for the march, arrive at 6 p.m. and join the creativity in the Student Life Center inside the Union.

If you have any questions, comments or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

Thank you for your participation in taking a pledge against the staggering national statistics of sexual assault. Watch a video of how the LLCC community is going to rock the statistics.

Don’t forget you are invited to turn up, speak up and support survivors by participating in UIS’s Take Back the Night Event on Friday, April 29 at 7 p.m. The event will start outside the Union on the UIS campus. Weather permitting, the event will include a march across campus and end with a gathering inviting sexual assault survivors to share their stories and be supported. Rain location for Take Back the Night is in the UIS Union Ballroom.

If you want to make posters for the march, arrive at 6 p.m. and join the creativity in the Student Life Center just inside the Union.

If you have any questions, comments, or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

During the month we have focused on learning about sexual consent, knowing how to intervene when we see something happening and pledging to take action to rock future sexual assault statistics.

This week we focus on the campus and community resources available to help survivors. If you are a survivor or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, know there are resources available to help you.

Also remember, we have been invited to join University of Illinois Springfield in their Take Back the Night event on April 29 at 7 p.m. The march will start at the Union on the UIS campus. More details will be announced on Wednesday.

Campus resources

Talkspace

LLCC has partnered with Talkspace, an online therapy service. All LLCC students are provided with two free monthly 30-minute live (synchronous) video sessions and free unlimited text, voice and video therapy messaging with a Talkspace therapist. Students have the ability to choose therapists based on all sorts of needs/interests including race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, religious preference, language preference, etc. Additionally, Talkspace uses a secure and confidential HIPAA and FERPA compliant app. Talkspace also has lots of resources about common diagnoses, coping mechanisms and exercises such as “Overcoming Worry.” You can learn more by going to Talkspace. To get started, students can talk with their student success coach or look for info in their LLCC email.

Confidential advisors

LLCC has confidential advisors who have special training to confidentially assist students experiencing sexual harassment, intimate partner/domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Confidential Advisor Phone Line (only answered by confidential advisors): 217-786-2590

Claire Heffron-McKinney, Student Success Coach
Claire.Heffron-Mckinney@llcc.edu
217-786-2590

Melissa Franzen, Student Success Coach
Melissa.Franzen@llcc.edu
217-786-2228

Office of compliance and prevention

The LLCC Office of Compliance and Prevention can connect students who are survivors of sexual assault with resources available at the college, within the community and nationally. Students may contact Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator at 217-786-3426 or stop by Room 0006 in Menard Hall – inside the student life office.

Local resources

Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault (PCASA)

The Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault provides free services for individuals and families affected by sexual violence regardless of race, gender, language, ability, sexual orientation or religion. Services provided include: crisis intervention, medical and legal advocacy, counseling for survivors of all ages (adults and children), prevention education programs and advice on what to do if you are assaulted.

A 24-hour hotline is maintained by trained staff and volunteers of PCASA. Get information and help dealing with recent or past incidents of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, incest, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, victim’s rights, emotional reactions and the legal system. Call the hotline for crisis situations, information about services and questions about sexual assault/abuse. Hotline number: 217-753-8081.

PCASA locations and phone numbers

Springfield Location
3 W. Old State Capitol Plaza
Springfield, IL 62701
217-744-2560

Jacksonville Location
2001 W. Lafayette
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217-243-7330

Sojourn Shelter and Services

Sojourn Shelter and Services focuses on providing services for those affected by domestic violence. Services provided include emergency shelters, individual counseling, educational group services, children’s programs, court advocacy and on-call advocates. Sojourn Shelter and Services also provides a wide range of educational information on avoiding unhealthy relationships, dating violence, domestic violence and how to be a friend to a victim of intimate partner abuse. Additionally, Sojourn provides information and resources for making a safety plan. All services are free and confidential.

Sojourn Shelter and Services Location & Phone Numbers
1800 Westchester Blvd.
Springfield, IL 62704
Phone: 217-726-5200
TTY: 217-726-7385
24-hour hotline number: 217-726-5200, or toll-free at 1-866-HELP4DV (435-7438)

Additional resources and information

LLCC’s website includes additional sexual violence resources.

Questions

If you have any questions, comments, or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact the Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

Every 68 seconds, another American is sexually assaulted.¹. Calculating over a one-day period, that’s more than 1,200 people each day, 1,200 too many.  One in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime; 1 in 6 women have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their life.  The statistics of sexual violence are informative and overwhelming. It can be challenging to feel like we can make a difference, but we can. Some of the actions recommended by Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault will help us change future statistics:

• Intervene when you witness inappropriate behavior.
• Discourage all forms of oppression.
• Don’t post or share posts promoting rape culture.
• Promote and model healthy relationships and boundaries.
• Support survivors.

This week we focus on communicating the statistics of sexual violence and identifying ways we can change the statistics. This week, take a pledge to rock the statistics.

Rocks with prewritten statistics will be available in A. Lincoln Commons and LLCC Outreach Centers. Grab a rock and write your pledge for rocking the statistics on the rock. Submit a picture of you and your pledge rock (preferred) or just your pledge rock, and you will be entered for a prize drawing. Your picture may also be used for a LLCC Rocking the Statistics video. Enter your participation here. Taking classes online and don’t come on campus? No problem — you can create your own pledge rock and enter.

The schedule for picking up rocks in A. Lincoln Commons:

• April 18, 9-10:30 a.m.
• April 19, 3-4:30 p.m.
• April 20, 1:30-3 p.m.
• April 21, 9-10:30 a.m.

Remember we have been invited to join University of Illinois Springfield in their Take Back the Night event on April 29 at 7 p.m. More  details will be announced next week.

If you have any questions, comments or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact Nikki Baker, compliance and prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

¹Statistical information from RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

Want to feel more comfortable with the actions you can take when you observe someone in a bad situation that is threatening to get worse? Join us today at 10 a.m. in A. Lincoln Commons when Annie Pettit from Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault (PCASA) will explain why bystanders tend not to get involved, the thought process we can use to decide we will intervene and the tactics we can use to take action. If you cannot attend in-person, you may attend virtually via Zoom.

If you have any questions, comments or need to report an incident related to sexual assault or harassments, please contact the Nikki Baker, compliance & prevention coordinator, at Nikki.Baker@llcc.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

As a part of the month’s activities, sidewalks on campus and at Outreach Centers. are being chalked with important messages on consent.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and individuals about sexual assault and the actions they can take to prevent it.

This month, we will focus on:

• Week of April 4 – Sexual Consent
• Week of April 11 – Bystander Intervention
• Week of April 18 – Rocking the Statistics
• Week of April 25 – Supporting Survivors