Reported incidents of on-campus rape more than doubled in 2016, according to an annual university police report released Friday.
The University of Oregon blog Around the O announced that the University of Oregon Police Department released this year’s Campus Security and Fire Safety Report. The report states that there were 16 reported incidents of on-campus rape, compared to seven in 2015.
According to Around the O, university law enforcement and Title IX officials believe the increase of reported rape was a result of greater awareness towards sexual assault and “robust local resources” available on campus.
“Our campus-wide team is dedicated to raising awareness, providing support and building a culture that rejects sexual misconduct,” Title IX Coordinator and Associate Vice President Darci Heroy stated in Around the O. “That work continues to be reflected in the increased number of students using the university’s resources and often choosing to share information with the university.”
Heroy said in the same statement that she hopes that, with a sexual assault reporting policy implemented this month, more students will report on sexual misconduct.
The policy, which was approved by UO President Michael Schill and went into effect on Sept. 15, replaced one that required university employees to report sexual misconduct to Title IX officers and sexual assault support services.
The current policy states some university employees act as “confidential employees” and “student-directed employees” who may report information disclosed by a student victim, but only if the student wishes it.
The report shows that, of the 16 reported incidents of rape in 2016, 12 were in residential facilities. One reported incident took place at a university-owned or controlled area off-campus.
In 2015, six reported rape incidents took place on residential facilities, while another six took at a non-campus facility. One reported incident took place on public property.
University police released the report in accordance with the Cleary Act (1990). The act requires all colleges and universities to disclose information about campus crime from the past three years in order to receive federal aid.
Reported on-campus rape has more than doubled, according to report
Andrew Field
September 29, 2017
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