Victims of sexual assault have a new on-campus resource: They can now receive forensic exams at University Health Services (UHS) in the Ritenour Building.

"It's a totally new way to respond to victims of sexual assault altogether," said Dawn McKee, education and outreach coordinator for the Centre County Women's Resource Center.

A UHS representative said forensic exams, or rape kits, can be used in an investigation into an assault, although the victim may be too traumatized to make an initial decision about an investigation.

It is best to have the exam performed initially because evidence on the body does not remain for very long, said JoAnna Moyer, director of women's health and a trained forensic examiner at UHS.

The exam can be performed even if the victim is unsure about pursuing an investigation in the future.

"Evidence is really not there very long, and the problem is that victims are often so traumatized and they're so much in shock, they really don't know how they'll feel in a week or two weeks or two months from now," Moyer said. "By providing it here on campus, we're hopefully going to make it easier for women to keep their options open," Moyer said.

A forensic exam gathers evidence about injuries and DNA as long as it is performed within 96 hours of the assault.

"The body reacts differently when it's forced," McKee said. "There might be injuries that you wouldn't be able to see."

Moyer said forensic examiners at UHS have gone through a rigorous training process in order to perform forensic exams.

If a victim wants to have a forensic exam, another resource is a sexual assault response team (SART), which is comprised of a law enforcement officer, a victim's advocate and a nurse practitioner.

Usually, victims must repeat their story to several people, said Ellen Nagy, UHS marketing manager.

She said one advantage of SART is that victims only have to tell their story once because all three officials are present.

Moyer said the response team is part of a community-wide effort for victims of sexual assault.

"We really have a collaborative approach to providing services to victims of sexual assault," Moyer said of the effort.

Representatives from UHS said the new on-campus exams will better serve victims of assault.

"It's really important in terms of serving the students," Nagy said. "Students will feel more comfortable coming here on campus for this type of exam."

Moyer said she hopes more victims of sexual assault will receive forensic exams because they are available at UHS.

"We're hoping that by providing it here on campus, we will have victims consent to these types of exams that might not have done so in the past," she said.

The exams are available for male and female victims.

"Even though the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault on campus are female, there are males too," Moyer said.

The forensic exams are available at University Health Services during regular business hours. Exams also can be performed at Centre Community Hospital.