Where there’s help, there’s hope.

It is not your fault. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted, abused, stalked, or harassed.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by interpersonal violence, the MSU VOICE Center is here to help. Whether the incident happened recently or decades ago, the VOICE Center wants to support you as you heal.

The MSU VOICE Center provides confidential, compassionate, and free-of-charge advocacy and assistance to MSU community members and their loved ones who have been impacted by interpersonal violence. Some of the ways we help students, staff, and faculty are:

· Crisis response: we are on call 24/7 at (406)994-7069 (call or text)

· Helping survivors and their loved ones understand available options and possible consequences of choices

· Helping survivors receive appropriate medical care, both immediate and longer term as necessary

· Maintaining survivors’ confidentiality

· Offering individual counseling through the VOICE Center or MSU Counseling Center, as well as group sessions

· Providing counseling and/or referrals to campus and community resources as appropriate

· Helping with resources for academic and personal support

· Providing safety planning and options for survivors both on and off campus

· Providing support for friends, family, and others affected by violence or trauma

· Scheduling appointments for issues that are urgent but not emergencies

· Assistance for survivors of other violent crimes and traumatic incidents

 

The MSU VOICE Center can help on many levels— both practical and emotional. We can give you helpful, accurate information and support so you can make informed decisions. We work collaboratively with all departments across campus. We can help you access and understand MSU Police Department and other law enforcement organizations' investigative processes, MSU’s judicial process and legal options, as well as how to access medical attention and ongoing care. We can advocate for you academically or with your employer or internship, and ensure that you feel safe in your housing situation and in your classes. We offer information and nonjudgmental support. We can provide a single session or long- and short-term therapy.

 

 

There are multiple ways to contact us to get help. (link to Contact Us link on the home page)

 

If you have experienced a sexual assault, an abusive relationship, or stalking, you may be faced with many decisions to make about your own physical and emotional well-being as well as filing reports through the University or law enforcement. The following information will provide a good overview, but it may be helpful to speak with a confidential advocate or counselor about all of your options which may be unique to your specific situation. You can contact us here to confidentially discuss your options (link to Contact Us link on the home page)

 

If you are unsure of what to do after experiencing violence or assault, here are some guidelines that may be helpful.

· Get to a safe place as soon as possible: your safety after an assault is your number one priority.

· Try to preserve all physical evidence: Try not to shower, bathe, or brush your teeth. If you can’t immediately contact the police or go the hospital for evidence collection and are unsure about

whether or not you want to file a report, save the clothing that you were wearing or any other fabric such as bedding in a brown paper bag.

· Seek support for what has happened: Talk with someone you trust to get immediate support, but be advised: some of these individuals, such as Resident Advisors or favorite professors, may have an obligation to report the incident Office of Institutional Equity (this means that a Title IX Coordinator would be in touch with you to discuss ways MSU can support you and help keep you safe while also discussing your options for moving forward with a more formal complaint and investigation which could potentially result in campus disciplinary actions for the abuser.)

Friends or family members can be great support providers; however, if you are uncomfortable sharing your experience with people close to you, there are other forms of support available to you.

If you wish to seek confidential support, the MSU VOICE Center, Help Center of Bozeman, and HAVEN are all available 24-hours per day to provide 100% confidential support. Confidential counseling is also available through the MSU VOICE Center, MSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, Help Center of Bozeman’s Sexual Assault Counseling Center and HAVEN.

· Seek medical attention: The Bozeman Deaconess ER has trained nurses who can meet with you, collect evidence through a forensic rape or domestic violence exam, check for injuries, provide emergency contraception, and provide STI preventative medication.

· Think about reporting options: Under Montana’s FREPP (Forensic Rape Examination Payment Program) you have the option of having evidence collected without reporting the crime. The evidence will be held for up to one year, so you have plenty of time to decide if you want to report the crime and initiate an investigation. Evidence collection is FREE of charge for the survivor.

 

For more detailed information about your options for reporting your specific situation please visit:

Reporting Options for Sexual Assault (link to Reporting Options for Survivors of Sexual Assault under the Sexual Assault & Childhood Trauma page)

Reporting Options for Relationship Violence (link to Reporting Options under the Relationship Violence page)

Reporting Options for Stalking (link to Reporting Options for Survivors of Stalking under the Stalking& Relationship Violence page)

Reporting Options for Childhood Trauma (link to Reporting Options for Survivors of Childhood Trauma under the Sexual Assault & Childhood Trauma page)

On-Campus Resources

Confidential Resources

VOICE Center

406.994.7069 (24-Hour - call or text)

FREE and confidential advocacy, counseling & support for members of the MSU community who have been impacted by interpersonal violence

MSU Counseling & Psychological Services http://www.montana.edu/wwwcc/

406.994.4531

FREE for MSU Students

MSU Student Health http://www.montana.edu/health/

406.994.2311

MSU Police Department http://www.montana.edu/wwwmsupd/

406.994.2121

Additional Resources & Support

MSU Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX Coordinator http://www.montana.edu/equity/

406.994.2042

MSU Dean of Students Office http://www.montana.edu/deanofstudents/

406.994.2826

 

Off-Campus Resources

Advocacy and Support

Help Center http://www.bozemanhelpcenter.org/

Sexual Assault Counseling Center

(406)586-3333 (24-Hour)

FREE Confidential counseling, advocacy & support for anyone impacted by sexual violence

HAVEN http://havenmt.org/

406.586.4111 (24-Hour)

FREE Confidential advocacy, support, safehousing, counseling, and legal advocacy for anyone impacted by interpersonal violence

Medical Care

Bozeman Health Emergency Department

406.585.1000

BridgerCare http://bridgercare.org/

406.587.0681 SLIDING SCALE

Community Health Partners http://chphealthmt.org/

406.585.1360 SLIDING SCALE

Montana Forensic Rape Examination Payment Program

406.444.3653

Law Enforcement

Victim Assistance Program

406.582.2075 or 406.582.2076

Bozeman Police Department

406.582.2000

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office

406.582.2100

Belgrade Police Department

406.388.4262

Manhattan Police Department

406.284.6630

West Yellowstone Police Department

406.646.7600

 Contact Us or Get in Touch with a Confidential Advocate