Center for Women and Community

We have about 10 professional SASA staff and approximately 40 evening and weekend staff inclusive of interns and volunteers. All of our SASA staff are trained rape crisis advocates who can provide support and advocacy using a peer support model.   

Our evening and weekend staff answer the hotline and can support you through a medical advocacy. Our daytime staff can also provide short term individual support sessions, support groups and police, court, and campus advocacy. All of our staff have legal confidentiality. 

We strive to live our values of inclusivity with approximately 50% of our staff identifying as BIPOC. Our staff includes members from many communities and identities inclusive of LGBTQ, a range of abilities, immigrants, and spiritual affiliations to name a few.    

We are all works in progress. Our staff receive ongoing training on equity and inclusion. We understand the connection of our social identities to trauma. We know that healing can look and feel different for people. You are the expert of your experience and your needs, and we can provide support, tools, resources and hold space for you. 

This is the 24/7 entry point to all SASA services. You can get immediate support, resources, practice grounding, safety planning, and talk through options. You can also access all of the SASA services by calling the hotline.   

What can you expect when you call the hotline?   

During typical business hours, one of our SASA team will live answer your call and be ready to help you.  On rare occasions, our answering service may answer your call and connect you with SASA staff.   

During the evenings and weekends, our answering service will answer the call and take your information. You can expect a call back within a half hour from a trained SASA staff person who is prepared to offer you support 24/7.  

We provide short term individual peer-based support to anyone impacted by violence. We use a strength based, trauma informed approach to explore ways to heal and thrive. Sessions can happen via zoom or in person and is free to members of the Hampshire County community inclusive of the Five Colleges. 

Our SASA staff can provide support, comfort and resources to survivors seeking medical help. Once you arrive at either Cooley Dickenson or University Health Services, the hospital staff will call for an advocate to:  

• Help advocate for your needs with the hospital staff  
• Explain sexual assault exams and evidence collection kits  
• Share a grounding bag with fidget items, journal and resources   
• Provide information so you can make informed decisions  
• Support you and your family or friends who are at the hospital  
• Provide a variety of resources for safety and support, including Victim’s Compensation.   

If you were sexually assaulted within the last five days you have these immediate choices:  

Get a free sexual assault exam (SANE kit) and evidence collection. 

You do not need to report to the police in order to have A SANE exam. To obtain a free sexual assault exam (SANE kit) you can go to Cooley Dickenson Emergency room or University Health Services.  When someone reports a rape at an emergency room they are given the option to speak with a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) who is specially qualified to complete an Evidence Collection Kit (SANE Kit) with the survivor. These exams are always free.  

You can also get treatment to prevent pregnancy and/or for sexually transmitted infections.   

Emergency Contraception can help prevent pregnancy up to five days (120 hours) after the assault. It is available at your drugstore, through your primary care provider, or through Planned Parenthood or Tapestry Health Services (in western MA).  Treatment to prevent sexually transmitted infections and testing are available at Planned Parenthood, Tapestry Health Services and your primary care provider.  

SANE Kit - Survivors can get medical support without making a report or telling anyone else about their assault. 

The SANE Kit is made to gather DNA evidence – such as bodily fluids, hair, and skin cells – and document injuries sustained during an attack.  DNA evidence must be collected within five days of an assault.   

What Can You Do?

Preserving evidence keeps a survivor’s options open. If a survivor is considering pursuing legal charges, there are steps to preserve the evidence a Sane Nurse can collect.  

If you choose to have an exam, try not to: 

• Bath or shower. 
• Use the restroom. 
• Change clothes. Or you can put the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault into a paper bag and bring them with you to the hospital –the clothes will be taken as evidence. 
• Comb hair. 
• Clean up the crime scene. 
• Move anything the perpetrator may have touched. 

If you have showered or eaten, there is still evidence that can be collected. 

What to expect: 

• At UHS or Cooley Dickinson, a specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will be contacted to perform the exam and collect evidence 
• UHS or Cooley Dickinson will also contact CWC for a Counselor Advocate who can meet you at the hospital, explain your options and provide support 
• Treatment to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections will be provided 

Our advocates can serve as a confidential resource to review your options in the legal processes before reporting. You do not need to have already reported to the police in order to work with an advocate. 

If you choose to report to the police, in most cases, you have a say in how far the investigation process goes. The criminal investigation process typically consists of these steps:  

• Providing an initial report to an officer;  
• Meeting with a trained sexual assault investigator to complete a detailed statement and learn about the investigation process;  
• An investigation is completed;  
• The investigator sends the investigation report to the District Attorney’s office for review and to determine if charges will be brought;  
• The DA’s office will likely meet with you to discuss next steps.   

The process can be quite lengthy, and the advocate can support you throughout each stage, as well as answer any questions you have along the way.    

Advocates can also assist you in applying for a 209a Abuse Prevention Order or a 258e Harassment Prevention Order (similar to restraining orders) at the courthouse, as well as answer any questions about the process.  

Our advocates can serve as a confidential resource for students, staff, and faculty at any of the Five Colleges to review options for reporting an incident on campus, and for requesting campus-based accommodations. You do not have to have already reported an incident to work with an advocate.   

Some possible accommodations include, but are not limited to, changes to housing assignments/workplace locations, adjustments to class schedules or assignment deadlines, safety escorts on campus, and no-contact orders between the parties.   

Anyone who chooses to report an incident on campus also has the right to report it to the police if they choose to. Advocates can assist in answering any questions and connecting you to the appropriate resources for reporting both on and off campus.  

Please visit your campus’ Title IX page for the most up-to-date information on each institution’s reporting, investigative, and resolution processes.  

• Amherst College: https://www.amherst.edu/offices/title-ix 

• Hampshire College: https://www.hampshire.edu/offices/title-ix   

• Mt. Holyoke College: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/risk/title-ix-compliance-mount-holyoke-college  

• Smith College: https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/title-ix 

• UMass: https://www.umass.edu/titleix/ 

Our SASA staff are trained to offer individualized, culturally sensitive safety planning with clients, catered to each survivor’s unique situation. Safety planning can cover topics such as online safety, school or workplace safety, safety in the home, as well as many other areas. Examples of questions we may consider while safety planning are:  

• Does this person know where you work? Have you told anyone at work what is going on?  
• Are you a student? What supports are available to you at school?  
• Does this person know any of your online passwords, or have access to your online accounts such as banking, email, or social media?  
• What support systems do you have in your life? Who is aware of what is going on?  

Safety planning is an ongoing process, and staff can work with survivors to consistently review and update their safety plan to ensure it is as effective as possible. You are the expert on your experience, and our staff can provide tools and support in planning for your short- and long-term safety.