Sex Offense Reports Rise At Md., Va. Universities
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Reports of forcible sex offenses at the flagship public universities of Maryland and Virginia doubled last year, an increase that school officials and victim advocates attribute to growing awareness rather than more dangerous campus environments.
The data shows that there were 19 reports at the University of Maryland in 2013, up nine from the year before. At the University of Virginia, there were 27 reports in 2013, compared to 11 the year before, according to campus crime data collected annually under the federal Clery Act.
Forcible sex offenses include rape, sodomy, fondling and sexual assault with an object.
School officials say colleges with rising sex-offense reports shouldn't be perceived as being more dangerous than before. That's because they say the numbers mean that more students are stepping forward to get help. Schools also are documenting the problem more thoroughly than ever, educating students about preventing sexual assault and developing procedures to handle complaints, according to The Washington Post.
"When these systems are put in place, you'll see more people coming forward and reporting because they're confident in the response from the institution," said Abigail Boyer, an assistant executive director at the nonprofit Clery Center for Security on Campus, based in Pennsylvania.
Boyer said that safety advocates and school officials want to reduce the number of assaults more than anything, but a key first step often is encouraging students to report them.
"It's really critical that people are even having the conversation," Boyer said.
This year, President Obama and lawmakers have tried to focus attention on campus sexual assaults. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights is investigating more than 80 colleges and universities for their handling of sexual-violence complaints.
The data at the universities of Maryland and Virginia reflect similar increases in reports of forcible sex on campuses across the country.
At 22 of 42 flagship universities, the reporting of forcible sex offenses increased, with the University of Virginia among the highest. Sixteen campuses saw decreases, and four did not experience a change.
Anthony de Bruyn, a spokesman for the Virginia school, said the university has adopted several new initiatives and policies in the past year that are "aimed at fostering a culture of reporting and providing an environment that is as safe as possible for our students and the entire university community."
"Therefore it is not unexpected that we would see an increase in the number of reports as members of the community become more aware and more sensitive to issues related to sexual misconduct," he said.
Catherine Carroll, director of the University of Maryland's Office of Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence, linked the incident reports to expanded outreach on gender violence.
"Best guess is that the increase is a result of these efforts locally and nationally," she said.
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(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
