At three in the morning, Carolyn Prinz is awakened by her beeper. She lays in bed, angry at the person who disrupted her sleep. She gets out of bed and rushes to the hospital.

On her way there, Prinz remembers who she is angry at. She is not angry at the frightened woman in the hospital who she now rushes to help. She is angry at the alleged rapist who put the woman there.

Prinz arrives at the hospital and steps into her role as a crisis counselor and program coordinator for the Carbondale Women’s Center, 406 W. Mill St.

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The anger I have at the perpetrator gets me out of bed and to the hospital, she said. We drink a lot of coffee around here.

Prinz said she and other Women’s Center employees and volunteers receive many late-night calls from police to counsel sexual assault survivors.

Sometimes I’m the first person they’ve ever talked to about being raped, Sandy Kramer, a counselor for the Women’s Center, said. I help them validate their experience and let them know I believe them.

Kramer said many sexual assault survivors turn to friends for comfort only to be victimized even further by questions that blame the victim.

We help a woman by listening to her and believing her, without asking questions that make her feel guilty, she said. To have someone say they believe you can really help start the healing process.

Prinz and Kramer said they are amazed at the coping skills of sexual assault survivors.

You can’t tell by looking at them that they have gone through such a traumatic experience, Prinz said.

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The strength of these women who come in for counseling is amazing, Kramer said.

Between July 1994 to June 1995, 217 women came to the Women’s Center to say they had been sexually assaulted, Kramer said. She said approximately 25 percent of the women who received counseling were college students from SIUC and John A. Logan College.

In 1983, SIU was in a second-way tie for the most reported rapes at a university, SIU Police Sgt. Nelson Ferry, said. Those numbers have decreased through education, increased student patrols, increased lighting and an increase in the number of crime- prevention officers.

Ferry said although many students sought counseling at the Women’s Center, only three women reported sexual assaults to the SIU Police in 1995. Two sexual assaults have been reported since January.

Only one in 10 sexual assaults are reported to police, Ferry said. Women often don’t report a rape because they are afraid to be victimized further. But our officers go through training to learn how to handle sexual assault cases.

We don’t make a woman prosecute her attacker. We let the victim make decisions, such as whether or not to gather samples at the hospital. We help the woman regain a sense of control by making these decisions.

Ferry said that while officers do not pressure women to file a report, it is important for victims to come forward so police can apprehend the perpetrator and keep someone else from becoming a victim.

Police statistics show that one perpetrator will rape 25 times before being caught by police, Kramer said. She said it is usually impossible to tell if someone is a rapist.

People tend to think of a rapist as a stranger in the night, she said. But 75 percent of sexual assaults are committed by a friend or acquaintance.

While there is no exact profile a rapist fits, Prinz said there are some warning signs women should look for in strangers and acquaintances.

It’s important to look at how the man treats other women, Prinz said. Rape is about power and control. Rapists see women as objects, not as equals. Rapists have complete disrespect for women and are often jealousy freaks.

Rapists often try to get their victims drunk, and alcohol is a major factor in 80 percent of rapes, Ferry said.

Be wary of anyone who pressures you to drink, he said. They may have ulterior motives.

While an attack cannot always be prevented, Ferry said it is important to prepare for a sexual assault.

Always be alert and aware of your surroundings, he said. Trust your instincts. If you feel threatened, you probably are. Be assertive. Look people in the eye and don’t be afraid to challenge them.

Because 90 percent of sexual assaults are planned, it’s important to change that plan. When you challenge them, it changes their plan. If you think someone is following you, you can turn around and holler at them to surprise them.

Bizarre behavior can frighten an attacker away, Ferry said.

I know of a case where a woman got down on all fours and started barking and eating grass, he said. Knowledge of self-defense can also prevent a rape. Practice defense techniques on a boyfriend. Find out what it feels like to be restrained, and plan ways of getting away.

Kramer said assaults cannot always be prevented, no matter how much preparation is made.

Fight and flee if you can, she said. But don’t try to beat them up and be Superwoman.

But if you survived the assault, you did the right thing. We encourage sexual assault survivors to come in and talk to us. We don’t judge them or make them file a police report. We are just here to help.

Self-defense classes are taught at the Recreation Center, and the Carbondale Police Department offers a women’s safety program.

The Women’s Center offers free and confidential services. The 24-hour hotline is 1-800-334-2094.