I Was Sexually Assaulted at SUNY Maritime, and Again on a Union Ship After I Graduated.

* This account was submitted to MLAA by the victim, a graduate of SUNY Maritime College *

This is my SUNY Maritime story, and I feel bad sharing it because I feel that I put myself in a bad position and wasn’t being cautious.

I was drinking with classmates and we all passed out a dorm room. I woke up with my classmate’s hand down my pants—doing things. 

I quickly got up and left the room. I told another classmate what happened, and he just told me to be careful. I told a regimental office I trusted and all he asked me was did I punch him in the face. 

There was no Title IX at the time. No one to tell. I avoid the guy who did that to me to this day.

After I graduated I was working as an engineer on a ship when someone got into my room while I was sleeping.  He was trying to get into my bed. I fought him off that time, but I didn’t know who it was. 

When I got off the ship and went back to the union hall, I told the person there that l'm never going back to that ship ever again. 

They responded that they have been having a few problems with the ladies on that ship and asked me if I would be willing to file a report about what had happened.

That’s when it dawned on me that they already knew there was a problem on the ship and that women were being assaulted, and yet they wouldn't do anything about it. 

I was too scared at the time to report anything. At Maritime we were taught not to make trouble, to keep our heads down and to just do our job.

I don't think that way any more, but I have a serious distrust of this industry and the people in it.