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Rapes rose 333 percent in 2006
Students kept in the dark
Erin Eidenshink and Tiffany Glick, Contributing Writer and Opinion Editor
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
Dr. Victoria Lockwood, an anthropology professor at SMU who co-chaired the President's Commission on the Status of Women from 2004 to 2006, said she is aware of the increase and does not dismiss its importance.
"It's absolutely something to be concerned about," she said.
Police records give no indication that anyone was successfully prosecuted in connection with the 13 rapes. Shafer, who has been at SMU since 1999, said he could not say when a suspect accused of rape at SMU was successfully prosecuted.
One reason for the lack of success may lie in the university's decision to provide little information about the reported rapes. In nine cases, SMU did not issue crime alerts informing students and faculty members that a student reported being sexually assaulted on campus. When it did, the information was vague at best. With rare exceptions, there was no description of the suspect. No specific location. No details about what happened. No follow-up information.
The 13 on-campus rapes reported at SMU in 2006 are significantly higher than the number reported at other area universities that year. Texas Christian University reported five sexual assaults. The University of North Texas, whose student body is three times as large as SMU's, reported one rape. The University of Texas at Arlington reported none.
Few SMU students said they were aware of the 333 percent increase in reported sexual assaults on campus in 2006. When The Daily Campus polled students to ask if they knew about this, 90 percent said no.
"I didn't know that, and I'm an RA and we usually get more information than normal students," said Jamila Benkato, a junior who serves as a resident assistant in Mary Hay.
For most SMU students, it is as if the sexual assaults never took place. But the victims know what happened. They do their best to pick up the pieces, despite being invisible to the SMU community.
Dr. Joci Caldwell-Ryan understands. While attending graduate school at SMU several years ago, she was raped in her Oak Lawn apartment by an intruder who entered through a window.
"It's absolutely something to be concerned about," she said.
Police records give no indication that anyone was successfully prosecuted in connection with the 13 rapes. Shafer, who has been at SMU since 1999, said he could not say when a suspect accused of rape at SMU was successfully prosecuted.
One reason for the lack of success may lie in the university's decision to provide little information about the reported rapes. In nine cases, SMU did not issue crime alerts informing students and faculty members that a student reported being sexually assaulted on campus. When it did, the information was vague at best. With rare exceptions, there was no description of the suspect. No specific location. No details about what happened. No follow-up information.
The 13 on-campus rapes reported at SMU in 2006 are significantly higher than the number reported at other area universities that year. Texas Christian University reported five sexual assaults. The University of North Texas, whose student body is three times as large as SMU's, reported one rape. The University of Texas at Arlington reported none.
Few SMU students said they were aware of the 333 percent increase in reported sexual assaults on campus in 2006. When The Daily Campus polled students to ask if they knew about this, 90 percent said no.
"I didn't know that, and I'm an RA and we usually get more information than normal students," said Jamila Benkato, a junior who serves as a resident assistant in Mary Hay.
For most SMU students, it is as if the sexual assaults never took place. But the victims know what happened. They do their best to pick up the pieces, despite being invisible to the SMU community.
Dr. Joci Caldwell-Ryan understands. While attending graduate school at SMU several years ago, she was raped in her Oak Lawn apartment by an intruder who entered through a window.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Christine
posted 4/24/08 @ 9:45 AM CST
I congratulate the writers on this piece. It is exceptionally hard journalism, and on such a difficult subject. Thank you for brining this to light.
Meg Bell
posted 4/24/08 @ 12:05 PM CST
Thank you so much for openly and honestly bringing this issue into the campus consciousness. University actions like the ones discussed in your article are but a microcosm of the vast "rape culture" that we are living in. (Continued…)
Alumnus
posted 4/24/08 @ 1:31 PM CST
It is absolutely appalling that Patti LaSalle's office has more say in what information the SMU community gets about crime than the police department. (Continued…)
Parent
posted 4/25/08 @ 11:51 AM CST
AND this only talks of women. Men have been raped, also. No one talks about them, not even them, but it happens, frequently.
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