Prevention, Advocacy, and Resource Center

• Trust yourself. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable and/or unsafe, your feeling is valid. Many examples of stalking that we see in movies and television make it seem funny or not serious, but being stalked can be very scary. If someone is constantly showing up, following you, sending you unsolicited gifts or messages, and or causing you to feel scared or worried, this can be considered stalking.
• Keep a log. Even if you don't plan to report your stalker, keeping a log of the stalker's activity can be helpful. Saving messages, taking notes of when and where you saw the stalker and photographing gifts from them are good examples of what to document. The National Stalking Resource Center offers a template (pdf) for keeping a log. An advocate at PARC would be happy to help you get one started that works for you.
• Consider altering your routine. Taking a different route to class or an earlier bus than you regular do might help you avoid your stalker. Walking with a friend could help you feel safer. You can also come in to PARC for help developing a safety plan with ideas like these and other changes you might want to take.

If you feel unsafe, consider contacting Public Safety at 781-736-3333 to get emergency assistance.

Cyberstalking is online stalking meant to frighten or intimidate an individual through targeted and repeated harassment. Cyberstalking can also include sexual harassment, but doesn't necessarily have to be sexual in nature.

Here are some actions you might choose to take if you are being cyberstalked

• Block them on social media: You can choose to block the person who is perpetrating the violence and/or report their account to the social media platform that you are using.
• Record evidence: You could keep a record of the harassment that is occurring, as this can help if you wish to report to law enforcement in the future.
• Contact website operators: If you are being harassed on a specific website, you can email or call the website operators to request they remove the harmful content. 
• Report to the school or police: Find more information about reporting in the tab below.
• File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): The IC3 is a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance that works to track down serious cases of online criminal complaints.
• Take a break: Being cyberstalked, documenting cyberstalking and/or reporting cyberstalking can all be very stressful. While you certainly don't have to, you might find it helpful to take a break from social media platforms for a little while.

Here are some additional measures that you might choose to take to decrease a someone's ability to gather information about you:

• Update your software: Keeping the software updated on your electronic devices is important in making sure that your information is protected, which includes protecting software that may track your location.
• Protect your IP address: Protecting your IP address can be important in making sure that no one can find out your location from your electronic devices. One way to do this is to use a VPN. A VPN, in addition to protecting your IP address and your location, also encrypts your internet usage, adding an extra layer of protection.
• Adjust privacy settings: Social media platforms often share your personal information, such as your name, date of birth or place of work. Consider adjusting privacy settings on your social media to be private. 
• Keep your devices physically safe: Make sure to always log out of your computer when you are leaving it unattended and protect all electronic devices with a password. In addition, avoid allowing others physical access to your electronic devices as some stalkers use software devices that physically connect to the back of computers.
• Protect your passwords: Create complex passwords that you never share with anyone. Change passwords regularly, especially if you share them with someone.
• Use security software: There are many companies that provide security software that you can download onto your computer. This will reduce your chances of encountering spyware that can compromise your personal information.
• Turn off geo-tagging: Geo-tagging is a feature that stores information in a photo about where it was taken on a mobile device. If you post photos online, make sure that geo-tagging is turned off in your phone’s settings so location data is not present in your photos.
• Google yourself: It can be helpful to know how much information there is about you out there on the internet. You can do this by googling your name and other identifying features about yourself in various combinations. If you do find information on a website that you wish to have removed, you can often contact the website and ask it to do so.

• If the person stalking you is also a member of the Brandeis community, you can file a report with Brandeis University's Office of Equal Opportunity (stalking is considered a form of sexual misconduct under the University's policy).

• You can also file a report with Public Safety or with the police department of the local jurisdiction in which the stalking occurred. There may be multiple jurisdictions in which the stalking occurred; Waltham Police might be a good place to start, or the police where you live if you don't live on-campus. Try to file your report in the jurisdiction where most of the stalking has occurred. This can be in addition to filing a report with Brandeis or instead of filing a report with Brandeis. 

• For cyberstalking, you can file a report with Brandeis Public Safety, the police where you live if you live off-campus, or the police where the perpetrator lives. The police can always send your report to a different jurisdiction, so don't worry too much about which police station to go to. 

• You can also decide not to file this report (now or ever). No one should make you file a report if you don't want to. 

If you choose to report, you can request protective measures from the Office of Equal Opportunity to help you stay safe and successful on campus either during an investigation or just in moving forward. You can ask for help with these from your Advocate in PARC or directly with the contact office listed. Examples of things you might find helpful:

• Temporary or permanent Brandeis housing assignment change.

• Alteration of, or removal of university directory information.

• University No Contact Orders or court-issued restraining orders (to ensure that shared classes or other shared experiences are avoided).

• Assistance with explanation of and transportation to local law enforcement for reporting purposes (for example, filing a report with Waltham Police or the Waltham District Court).

• For undergraduate students, guidance from Academic Services at 781-736-3470, which can help you communicate with faculty and to keep up your academic obligations through tutoring and other academic resources, planning meetings, and academic advising.

• For graduate students, additional support for navigating coursework and other responsibilities is available from Graduate Student Affairs at 781-736-3547.

• Assistance with referrals and transportation to on-campus or off-campus health resources.

• Assistance with transportation to, and explanation of, municipal report filing (for example, Waltham Police or Waltham District Court/assistant district attorney's office).

• Assistance with immigration and visa issues.