One in five female undergraduates experience sexual assault in college, the United States Justice Department has found, and more than 215 respondents in a 2016 campus climate survey conducted at Syracuse University said they had experienced sexual assault.

But in the Department of Public Safety’s annual security report, the number of sex offenses last year was just 17 in total. That includes 14 reported rapes and three reported fondling incidents.

Unlike SU’s campus climate survey or other questionnaire-based findings, geography and a victim’s decision whether or not to report a crime can limit the number of sexual assaults that appear on the security report, mandated by a federal law called the Jeanne Clery Act.

Because of those limitations, experts said that the security report and the survey cannot be compared, and the difference between statistics is not surprising.

“We know that sexual assault on the whole, from inappropriate touching all the way up to nonconsensual sexual intercourse, is underreported,” said W. Scott Lewis, a partner at NCHERM, a law and consulting firm that specializes in risk management for educational institutions. “The fact that the survey number is higher than the reported number is not stunning at all.”

The ways universities handle sexual assault allegations after they have been reported to certain offices have come under increasing scrutiny from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who last month scrapped Obama-era guidelines requiring schools to use the lowest standard of proof — a “preponderance of the evidence” — when determining an accused student’s guilt in a sexual assault.

A few days after DeVos’ announcement, SU responded to a lawsuit from a former student expelled for violating the university’s Code of Conduct. The student, accused of sexual assault, claimed he was unfairly treated by the university during the investigation and conduct proceedings.

The Clery Act, a federal consumer protection law passed in 1990, requires schools receiving federal funds to compile an annual security report, detailing the number of certain crimes that occur on campus. The law also requires colleges publicly post a daily log of crimes that occur on or near campus, among other things.

“Clery statistics are extremely specific about what they’re measuring and reflecting,” said Laura Egan, senior director of training and technical assistance at the Clery Center, a nonprofit organization that provides universities with Clery Act-related education and training.

For a sexual assault to appear on the security report, it must occur on campus, in public property immediately next to campus or in noncampus properties — buildings controlled by the university that are not necessarily near the core campus.

A sexual assault that occurred in an off-campus apartment, though, would not appear on Clery Act statistics because the building is not on university property.

Additionally, a crime also needs to be reported to a campus security authority — a wide-ranging classification of officials who have significant responsibilities for student and campus activities. CSAs can include DPS or law enforcement officers, Title IX coordinators, athletic coaches, student residence advisors and university administrators.

“Those are all some barriers you need to get through to get a report counted,” Egan said.

Sexual assaults disclosed to the Counseling Center, chaplains at Hendricks Chapel and health services staff will not appear on the annual security report because those officials are permitted confidential resources under the Clery Act.

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The university refers sexual assault victims without physical injuries to the Counseling Center to receive help, but the center does not publicly release information about the number of sexual assaults disclosed to them. Officials from the Counseling Center did not respond to requests for comment.

Because confidential resources such as the Counseling Center do not release statistics — and are not required to — the security reports and 2016 campus climate survey are the only publicly available documents quantifying statistics about sexual assaults among the SU community.

The survey, which the university created after a recommendation from Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence, was voluntarily completed by about 5,600 students, faculty and staff. Of the respondents, 217 stated they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, including sexual assault, fondling, rape or penetration without consent.

Christine Weber, DPS’ public information and internal communications officer, said students impacted by sexual or relationship violence may report a sexual assault on a survey but never seek services from the institution.

The Counseling Center does not publicly release statistics about sexual assault because it is considered confidential resources under the Clert Act. Daily Orange File Photo

Without a report to a CSA, a sexual assault will not appear on the security report.

The sexual assault reporting and conduct process can be intimidating for some, said Chris Kosakowski, campus prevention educator at Vera House, a nonprofit organization that supports sexual and relationship violence victims.

“A lot of victims just want something that’s going to make them feel OK,” he said. Victims know a confidential resource such as a counselor will help them heal rather than start the reporting and conduct process, Kosakowski added.

The number of reported rapes on DPS security reports has steadily increased, from five in 2014 to 14 last year. In 2013, zero rapes were reported.

DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said in an email the department believes the increase is due to more widespread education about sexual violence and where to report it.

It’s a trend being seen on campuses across the nation, he said.

Published on October 16, 2017 at 11:37 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18