Tiffany Reese

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Until next time, stay safe, friends.

Something Was Wrong is intended for mature audiences and discusses topics that may be upsetting.

This season discusses sexual, physical, and psychological violence.

Please consume the following episodes with care.

For a full content warning, sources, and resources for each individual episode, please visit the episode notes.

Opinions shared by the guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Broken Cycle Media.

The podcast and any linked materials should not be misconstrued as a substitution for legal or medical advice.

Thank you so much for listening.

For many survivors of sexual assault on college campuses, the first step is not reporting.

It's deciding whether to tell anyone at all.

Data from the 2019 Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey shows that while the vast majority of women and men who experience sexual assault tell someone, only about one in four women and roughly three in 10 men disclose the assault to a family member.

For many survivors, the people they trust most in the immediate aftermath are often friends, roommates, or peers.

Medical care, when it happens, often comes next.

But even that decision is shaped by uncertainty and fear.

Some survivors seek care through a sexual assault medical forensic exam, often performed in emergency rooms or specialized clinics by specially trained forensic nurses.

According to national standards from the U.S.

Department of Justice, these exams are intended to provide medical care, document injuries, and if the survivor chooses, collect forensic evidence.

What many survivors are not always told upfront is that, in most states, they can receive this exam without being required to report to police.