Public Safety received seven reports of sex-related crimes during the fall 2013 semester, the second-highest reported number in the past 11 semesters. The highest number of reported sex-related crimes occurred during the fall 2012 semester at 10.
Sex-related crimes are defined in this article as sex offenses, sex offenses with no known threat to the AU community, forcible fondlings, sexual misconduct/assaults and forcible sex offenses as categorized in the AU Daily Crime Log by Public Safety.
The increase in sex-related crimes is not indicative of more crimes committed on campus, said Daniel Rappaport, AU’s sexual assault prevention coordinator.
“Based on Public Safety investigations, there is no ongoing threat to the community,” said Maralee Csellar, then associate director of media relations with University Communications, in a Nov. 6 email.
Instead, the increase in sex-related crimes may be due to more people reporting the crime because of sexual assault prevention programs and increased awareness.
“[Sexual assault] is a crime that is extraordinarily underreported,” Rappaport said.
This rise comes less than a year after the number of reported forcible sex offenses quadrupled, according to AU’s Annual Security Report. The Annual Security Report is a mandatory publication released by universities receiving federal aid detailing the number of criminal offenses on campus, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
According to the AU Daily Crime Log, there were seven sex-related crimes reported to Public Safety during the fall 2013 semester from Aug. 17 to Dec. 16, 2013, including:
• four sex offenses,
• two sex offenses with no known threat to the AU community and
• one forcible fondling
Since Jan. 9, there has been one reported sex offense and one reported forcible sex offense for the spring 2014 semester. As of Feb. 10, there were a total of 9 sex-related crimes during the 2013-2014 academic year.
National agenda sets spotlight on sexual assault on campuses
The White House brought college rape and sexual assault to the national agenda with the release of a Jan. 22 memo citing “uneven and, in too many cases, inadequate” university compliance with federal rape and sexual assault reporting and services access. The White House will submit a list of recommendations to President Barack Obama by April 22 on how to reduce and handle sexual assault reports on campuses, according to a White House press release.
One in four women will experience rape or attempted rape during college, Rappaport said, citing national statistics. AU falls within this national statistic, meaning there are potentially more survivors each semester than records indicate, Rappaport said.
Survivors at AU are not required to report the crime to Public Safety or any other on-campus office, Rappaport said. However, students can speak to a confidential victims advocate such as Rappaport without reporting the crime.
Rappaport said he ultimately tries to give control back to the survivors.
“We are not unique,” Rappaport said. “[W]hat makes AU different is what we do about it.”
Sexual assaults underreported at AU
The national average of rapes and attempted rapes on a female by an acquaintance is 80 percent, but rises to more than 90 percent on college campuses, Rappaport said.
In the fall of 2012, there were almost 7,000 undergraduate students enrolled at AU and only 15 reported sex-related crimes.
One reason why students may not report sex-related offenses is because of confusion about the definition of consent, Rappaport said.
The University defines consent multiple ways, which broadly state that:
• individuals must be able to communicate effectively before each sexual encounter,
• a free choice without force (real or perceived) must be made and
• regardless of dress, physical appearance, intoxication or acceptance of a date invitation.
“It’s a crime that there is so much lack of understanding, or misunderstanding, around what constitutes sexual violence,” Rappaport said.
At least four of the seven sex-related crimes were reported to Public Safety through another on-campus office such as student housing, Csellar said.
“This shows an active line of communication between Public Safety and other campus departments in reporting sex offenses that have occurred,” Csellar said.
However, a direct line of communication between campus safety authorities and students may not be as strong.
Public Safety released only one crime alert for a forcible fondling during the fall 2013 semester.
There were no crime alerts released for the other six sex-related crimes during that time.
“AU and every other university, we need to never settle,” Rappaport said. “We need to never say ‘This is good enough.’ We need to always be working to improve our resources.”
Students can enroll in educational programs such as Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Systems and Dating Violence.
“We have student health, safety and wellness on the line,” Rappaport said.
The data used in this article was obtained from the AU Public Safety Daily Crime Log from June 17, 2008 to Dec. 1, 2013. The crimes reported Dec. 1 – Dec. 16 and Jan. 9 – Feb. 10 were obtained from Public Safety’s online Daily Crime Log. Data does not include crimes reported during summer and winter breaks.
AU offers at least eight on-campus resources for survivors of sexual assault, including:
• Public Safety: can escort students and assist with filing cases with the Metropolitan Police Department
• *Counseling Center: *offers emergency, same-day, confidential counseling, support and referrals during weekday and business hours
• Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator: gives support and guidance to survivors, family or friends affected by sexual assault
• Student Health Center: provides follow-up medical care for sexually transmitted disease testingergency contraception
• *Office of the Dean of Students: *handles housing relocation, academic schedule changes, barring contact and filing cases with Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services, Academic Affairs or Human Resources
• Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services: provides administrative and organizational support for violations of the Student Conduct Code
• Women’s Resource Center: offers a safe space for students to get support and advice on issues that specifically affect women
• The Wellness Center: where Rappaport can help survivors determine if she or he wants to report their sex crime to a department on campus, and how to deal with the emotional trauma of sexual assault
