A new analysis of campus crime data has revealed that 91 percent of U.S. colleges had no reported cases of rape in 2014, according to the American Association of University Women.
That should be good news, but we know sexual assault is far more common than that. A 2014 survey of more than 150,000 students across the country found that nearly 1 in 4 college women had experienced sexual violence on campus. And under the Clery Act, a school is required to report every sex crime that happens on its grounds to the Department of Education.
So, why do the latest DOE numbers appear to clash with national statistics?
Activists were quick to point out that the low numbers don’t mean sexual assaults aren’t happening; it’s more likely that victims didn’t report them. They’re not wrong, but it’s important to note another explanation for all those zeroes.
AAUW’s alarming 9-in-10 figure in part stems from schools missing the Department of Education’s crime-data reporting deadline, which was Oct. 1. A spokesperson for AAUW confirmed that some colleges’ reports are probably just late, and they were considered zeros in the organization’s analysis.
It’s also possible that the schools did file on time, but the data hasn’t yet been logged in the education department’s searchable database. (A DOE spokesperson did not respond to a request for an explanation.)
Still, AAUW’s findings do reflect that sexual assault remains vastly underreported. We know from a growing body of research that some survivors feel too ashamed to come forward. Some don’t want to relive the trauma through police interviews and court dates.
Others encounter parents, friends, officers and school officials who blame or don’t believe them. And on top of that, victims sometimes fear retaliation from their attackers.
So, a school that reports no or few sexual assaults isn’t necessarily a safe haven for students. In fact, a higher number of reported assaults can mean the assault investigation system is operating effectively.
Reports of sex assault low at Fort Lewis College
At Fort Lewis College, the reported number of rape cases is low, but it is not zero.
So far this school year, from Aug. 30 through Nov. 19, the college was made aware of three reports of rape involving students as victims. Last year, during the same period, the school had four reported cases, said Mitch Davis, spokesman for the school.
But only one of the seven cases met the criteria to be reported to the U.S. Department of Education. The school is required to report only those cases that happen on campus or property controlled by the school.
For Molly Wieser, the Title IX administrator at the school, the question is how to make students more comfortable coming forward.
“We’re working hard at the college to reduce barriers to reporting,” she said.
So far this year the school has held a glow run, campus talks and a consent carnival to help stop sexual violence and raise awareness that consent requires a clear agreement.
At these events, the college has been promoting its anonymous reporting form and other reporting options.
“Our feeling is the anonymous reporting report is a good piece to a broader strategy,” Davis said. “The first step is to educate our students on how to keep themselves safe.”
Students can use the form to report anything they wish to be kept anonymous, such as sexual assault or harassment and offenses less heinous, Wieser said.
Following the efforts around awareness, the college has seen an uptick in the use of the form, but not many more students have come to speak with Wieser personally, she said.
One of the barriers to reporting any kind of sexual assault or harassment at FLC may be the size of the school, because the victim will likely run into the perpetrator regularly, she said.
Many students request that complaints be handled informally, she said.
Victims can also take specific requests to Wieser, and she does her best to make them more comfortable. For example, she can reschedule a student’s class to make sure a victim and the perpetrator don’t see each other regularly.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
