How to Get Help

Need help?

The University has a wide variety of resources to provide help and support; some confidential, some non-confidential. You can learn more about the most appropriate resource for you below.

Crisis Resources

Confidential resources do not share identifying information with anyone. 

Non-confidential resources disclose information only when necessary to get students additional services or to protect community safety.

Sexual Violence Response

Sexual Violence Response

CONFIDENTIAL

Available 24/7/365 — Call (212) 854-HELP (4357) 

Sexual Violence Response provides rape crisis/anti-violence support, including accompaniment to the hospital, police or to other resources. 

No appointments are necessary for the locations listed below on the Morningside and Medical Center campuses. 

Morningside/Manhattanville Campuses

700 Lerner Hall
(Broadway/115th) 

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

206 Bard Hall
(50 Haven Ave./169th & 170th St.)

Barnard College

105 Hewitt Hall
(3009 Broadway/116th)

Counseling Services

Counseling Services

CONFIDENTIAL

Get short-term counseling, including trauma support, referrals for ongoing mental health services, and/or join a student support group. For more information, visit the websites or locations on the campuses listed below.

Morningside/Manhattanville Campuses

Lerner Hall, 8th Floor
(Broadway/115th)
212-854-2878 *After hours, press 1

Barnard College

100 Hewitt Hall, 1st Floor
(Broadway/116th)
212-854-2092

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Bard-Haven Tower 1, Suite 1D
(60 Haven Ave. between 169th & 170th)
212-305-3400 *After hours, press 4

Public Safety

Public Safety

NON-CONFIDENTIAL

Available 24/7/365 — Call (212) 854-5555 

Public safety is for emergency response, security escorts or assistance with law enforcement. For more information, visit the websites or locations on the campuses listed below.

Morningside Campus

111 Low Library (southeast entrance)

Manhattanville Campus

3270 Broadway
(Between 131st & 132nd St.)
212-853-3333

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

109 Black Building
(168th/Fort Washington Ave.)
212-305-8100

Barnard College

104 Barnard Hall
(Broadway between 116th & 118th)
212-854-6666

Teachers College

Whittier Hall, Suite 1A
(Amsterdam Ave./120th)
212-678-3333

Title IX Office

NON-CONFIDENTIAL

 

Gender-Based Misconduct Office

Receive guidance through the complaint, investigation and adjudication process, as well as help in seeking academic and other accommodations. For more information, visit the website or location on the main campus listed below.

800 Watson Hall
(612 W. 115th St./Broadway & Riverside Dr.)
212-854-1717
[email protected]

Columbia University's Title IX Coordinator

Oversight of Title IX investigations, complaint resolutions, gender-based misconduct policy training, and University compliance with laws prohibiting sex discrimination. 

Interchurch Building
(Claremont Ave./120th St.)
212-853-1276
917-509-0405 (mobile)
[email protected]

I need help now

If you would like to have a confidential survivor advocate meet or accompany you to a local hospital or New York City police precinct, call 212-854-HELP/4357 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year).

Call 911 for immediate police protection and assistance.

Columbia Public Safety provides services to all the Morningside, Manhattanville, and Medical Center campuses.

If you are being stalked or threatened, or have immediate concerns about your personal safety, Public Safety also provides a Walking Safety Escort Service.

  • To check for injuries; you may have injuries that you can't see or feel
  • To prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and obtain prophylaxis medication
  • To prevent pregnancy
  • To collect evidence (Evidence collection does not require you to place a report with the police; this process preserves evidence for the future and it may vary by state.)

Medical Resources

  • Morningside/Manhattanville: Columbia Health Medical Services
  • Columbia University Medical CenterStudent Health Services
  • Barnard Primary Care Health Service
  • Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital Emergency Care, 212-636-3375, West 114th and Amsterdam Avenue, 1111 Amsterdam Ave.
  • Mount Sinai West Hospital Emergency Department, 212-636-3375, 59th Street and 10th Avenue, 1000 10th Ave.
  • Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center: Domestic and Other Violent Emergencies (DOVE), 212-305-9060, West 168th Street and Broadway
  • Crime Victims Treatment Center Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, 212-523-4728, call for appointment Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

For the purposes of evidence collection, if possible, avoid:

  • Drinking
  • Eating
  • Showering
  • Brushing your teeth
  • Combing your hair
  • Changing or washing your clothes

If you have done any of these things, evidence can still be collected and remains important in seeking medical attention. If you have changed your clothes, take the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault to the hospital in a paper bag (not a plastic bag). If you have not changed your clothes, it may be a good idea to bring a change of clothes to the hospital. If needed, a survivor advocate from Sexual Violence Response can provide you with needed clothing or other items from the Survivor Care Package.

Counseling Resources

Survivors and/or Co-Survivors (friends, family, classmates) may choose to visit the Sexual Violence Response and Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center to enlist confidential support around:

  • Reporting rights:
  • On-campus accommodations (Housing, Academic, Financial)
  • On- and off-campus referrals (mental health, follow up care, healing support)
  • Safety planning
  • Understanding the sexual assault forensic examination
  • Assistance drafting a victim impact statement
  • Court advocacy or assistance obtaining legal representation
  • Remembering it's not your fault
  • Identifying a friend or other support person to be by your side
  • Learning how to discuss the incident with family members

I need help understanding my experience

Gender-based misconduct can happen in many different forms; everyone’s experience is unique. If you believe that you have experienced gender-based misconduct and would like to confidentially speak with someone about your experience, the following resources are available to you.

Someone I know needs help

What can I do to help?

You can report an incident on behalf of a friend. You can also refer your friend to these resources. In addition to helping a survivor through the steps outlined above in “I need help now,” you can also provide assistance with the following recommendations.

What more can I do to help?
  • Medical
    • Encourage survivors to seek medical attention as soon as possible following a sexual assault.
    • Medical professionals can help identify possible injuries and/or prescribe medication(s) to prevent sexually transmitted infections and/or pregnancy.
  • Evidence Collection
    • Physical evidence is collected in the emergency room by trained medical providers.
    • It is recommended that survivors wait to shower, brush their teeth, or change clothes until after evidence collection.
    • Evidence can still be collected up to 96 hours after an assault.
    • Evidence is useful in any criminal justice investigation, but collection does not commit survivors to filing a police report.
  • Reporting

Find more information about Columbia University policies on sexual assault here.

If you need guidance or support in understanding your role as a helper, the resources above are available to you as well.

I am a University employee and I need help

If you are a University employee who needs help, these resources are available to you as well.

Additionally, the following resources may be of help:

If you are looking to learn more about your rights and obligations, the University has policies and other documents outlining your obligations and responsibilities below: