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Sexual assault a campus issue Experts say more students face sexual assault than reported By Nora Hicks The most common perpetrators in sexual assault and rape cases are not strangers. In fact, nine in 10 college women victims know their assailant, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. So while the number of local registered sex offenders is seemingly high, many more perpetrators go unreported. Although Brockport students should be aware of nearby offenders, most assaults can happen with these acquaintances at your home and at any time of the day. The counseling center’s Web site states sexual assault includes intentional touching, attempted rape, sodomy or sexual penetration with an object. There are six registered sexual offenders within five miles of the Brockport campus. Of these six, five are a level two on New York’s Sex Offender Registry, indicating a moderate risk of the offense being repeated. There are even more that work in Brockport or live in the surrounding areas. “Most [registered sexual offenders] are child molesters or pedophiles, so they most likely won’t bother the college girls,” said University Police Chief Robert Kehoe. The offenders are required to register with the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) in compliance with the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) or the offender is subject to arrest. Level two and three sex offenders have to register for life, while a level one sex offender must register for a minimum of 20 years. According to the 2008 Sex Offender Registry Review, New York’s Sex Offender Registry Web site is the No. 8 most comprehensive Web site in the country. The registry includes personal information about the offenders which includes any identifying marks, vehicle type and crime data. More information on the sex offenders and others in the area can be found on their Web site criminaljustice.state.ny.us/nsor/index.htm. “Sure, this tells us that those people have been caught, prosecuted and convicted,” said Brockport counselor Diana Fox, “but on the other hand it doesn’t tell us about all the other people out there who haven’t been caught. It gives us a false sense of security… It takes a lot to get on that list.” An offender also has to report if they are attending school. The 2000 Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act “requires offenders who are attending an educational institution to register with the agency that has jurisdiction over that institution.” In addition, offenders are prohibited from living or working within 2,000 feet of elementary or high schools. This does not include college campuses. Another misrepresented figure besides the number of sexual assault perpetrators is correlated with the small number of reported sexual assaults. The 1998 Clery Act, which states colleges and universities must publish a report with the last three years of crime statistics, including the number of sexual offenses. This law does not require crime statistics for off-campus crime and as a result is an underreported figure. In accordance with the Clery Act, Campus Crime Statistics at Brockport show there was an average of one to three reported sex offenses per year from 2002 to 2007, with most offenses occurring in residence halls. “If you look at the number of students and the number of sexual assaults, I’m not ashamed of it by any means,” Kehoe said. “I would like to see the number be zero, yeah, but it’s not realistic.” Compared with an average from 2001 to 2005 of other New York colleges’ sexual offenses with 5,000 to 10,000 students, Brockport was either below or equal to the average. This data, and other Brockport crime statistics, can be found on the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site at ope.ed.gov/security/ where data for one campus can be compared with an average of other groups of campuses. However, these numbers are a small representation of actual sexual offenses not only because of the lack of off-campus numbers, but because crimes revealed to counselors are not required to be in the report. The report rate is also worse on college campuses. Where 40 percent of victims report sexual assault living residentially, only 5 percent of victims report sexual assault on campuses, according to the Justice Department. “Reporting can be scary, especially if they blame themselves,” Fox said. “Most don’t want to go through it and just want to put the experience behind them.” It is the choice of the victim whether they want to report the crime. The Your Right to Know Handbook states victims have the right to choose to prosecute and report their case through the campus judicial system or the off-campus system. The handbook urges students to report crimes even though choosing to do so may produce “adverse publicity” for the college. “Student victims of rape by someone they know … are far less likely to report their victimization to campus or criminal authorities than victims raped by strangers on campus,” the U.S department of Justice stated in a report on campus sexual assault. In recent years, colleges have been reprimanded by the group SAFER (Students Active for Ending Rape) and other organizations because, according to their Web site, “64 percent of schools do not provide new students with sexual assault awareness education.” The group strives to stop sexual assaults at colleges by encouraging them to take more preventative measures against sexual violence and to be more aware of how to treat victims. Their reasoning was also that students told endless accounts of humiliating experiences when trying to report a sexual assault to campus authorities. Fox was hired several years ago as the sexual assault counselor for Brockport. “It’s proactive of the college to hire someone like me in this field,” Fox said. “I was really impressed with that.” Ongoing programs that promote sexual assault and rape awareness include Take Back the Night rally, resident hall programs, Sound-Off Theater during freshman orientation, activities with Greek life and SSTEP, and guest speakers such as the Vagina Monologues and Angela Shelton. Also, classes such as Victimology give presentations on sexual-assault awareness. Upcoming events include the Clothesline Project, where the Women’s Center provides T-shirts for victims: red or pink for women who have been raped, and blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual assault. Another event is Walk a Mile, aimed at men’s sexual assault awareness, where men walk in girl’s shoes. In order to prevent a sexual assault, the Rape, Incest and Incest National Network (RAINN) suggests to be aware of your surroundings and to trust your instincts. Preventative measures enforced by the college include participating in community policing and locking your vehicle and dorm room. University Police also urges students to know the locations of campus blue-light phones, although, Kehoe said, they are not used much because of the increase in cell phone possession. Alcohol intake also needs to be watched, Kehoe said. The counseling center suggests practicing safe drinking by limiting your alcohol intake and not leaving your drink unattended. “There are all kinds of behaviors that wouldn’t have happened if that individual would have been sober,” Kehoe said. Libby Caruso, the director of student health and counseling, said about 90 percent of sexual assault cases that came into the health center involved one or both members of the party intoxicated. She also said that alcohol is the No. 1 date drug. “I’ve had only one or two people that were sure something was put in their drinks,” Fox said. The counseling center plays a key role in helping victims of sexual assault. Caruso said about four or five people who have been sexually assaulted come in per semester. If the attack was recent, the counseling and health center go through several steps to take care of the victim. “[Victims] can get their heads in order once they get their bodies in order,” Caruso said. “Hopefully, this can happen at the same time.” As a result of the difficulty of doing a full exam at Hazen Health center, victims are first referred to the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam center (SAFE) at Strong Memorial Hospital. The center, a victim-focused treatment center for sexual assault victims, does evidence collection, medical evaluations (checks for STDs or pregnancy), and gives the support of a Rape Crisis Advocate. Most victims just want to make sure nothing is wrong with them. “They [SAFE Center] have everything so that their care is seamless,” Caruso said. “We have a good connection with the staff at Strong.” Legal matters are taken care of next. If the attack was recent, an evidence kit can be completed. The hospital will hold the evidence kit for 30 days, giving the victim time to decide if they want to prosecute. If the victim wishes to pursue criminal prosecution, UP will locate the individual and get their version of the events. Victims can also fill out a proxy report where sexual assault is anonymously reported to law enforcement agencies. An off-campus sexual assault will involve the Brockport Police Department or Monroe County Police, depending on the situation. If there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, the case goes to the District Attorney’s office. A September case of sexual assault was not able to prosecute the perpetrator. “You have to be able to prove with unreasonable doubt a sexual assault has occurred,” Kehoe said. The victim then needs to get the appropriate counseling. Anyone who has been sexually assaulted at any time in their life can get free and confidential help from the counseling center. “I give them permission to talk about what’s happened and let them know I support them and believe them,” Fox said. Overall sentiment about sexual assaults is usually misconstrued, Fox said. Rapists do not have a certain look and victims do not always feel guilty. The victim may also feel angry, afraid or confused. “Sometimes they might even have the giggles,” Fox said. “That’s their stress response.” Another misconception about sexual assault is that every rape victim is female. An estimated one in four women and one in six men will experience a sexual assault, according to the National Institute of Justice. “It’s important for people to know that it is not the victim’s fault,” said Fox. UP and the counseling center work together to take care of the privacy of sexual assault victims and the integrity of the case. In the 11-and-a-half years as UP officer, Kehoe said the number of sexual assaults at Brockport has remained consistent. “Safety-wise, we’re pretty safe, but that doesn’t protect you from the people you socialize with,” Caruso said. Note: In the March 5 edition of The Stylus, a sidebar on steps to take in the case of unwanted sexual contact displayed outdated data on the group called SUNSET. The committee began in 2005, but disbanded and no longer exists. Also, the statement “the less rape is reported the more that it will occur,” is mistaken because it wrongfully blames the victim. The counseling center’s Web site is now updated to www.brockport.edu/cc. |
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