The number of reported forcible sexual offenses on campus tripled from three in 2012 to nine in 2014, according to the 2015 Annual Security and Fire Report released by the LSU Police Department on Thursday. The number of offenses peaked in 2013, with 10 reported cases.
Only one case of on-campus, non-forcible sexual violence was reported in 2014.
Campus saw 15 reported instances of stalking in 2013, which decreased to nine the following year. In 2014, seven cases of domestic violence and eight cases of dating violence were reported.
LSUPD released the report in cooperation with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which mandates crime statistics be disclosed to students for safety and awareness purposes at colleges that receive federal funding.
The report discloses information about crimes committed on and near campus. It contains statistics for the previous three years and details institutional olicies concerning campus safety.
Safety-related resources, such as evacuation plans, the university’s emergency text messaging system and the LSU SHIELD mobile app, are also outlined in the document.
LSU Women’s Center director Summer Steib, who told The Daily Reveille last year she was disappointed in the underreporting of sexual assault on campus following the 2014 report’s release, said she saw some improvements in programs implemented to combat sexual assault.
One in four college women are sexually assaulted and report it, Steib said in a 2014 interview with The Daily Reveille.
“The purpose of the Security and Fire Report is to give a snapshot of campus safety,” Steib said. “Whenever you’re talking about sexual assault, dating and domestic violence and stalking, it’s a reality for many college students,”
LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said the police department wanted to inform students about resources available that are just a phone call or check-up away.
“We want to encourage those [affected] to report, so that information was included in the report,” Lalonde said.
The issue of sexual assault resurfaced this year when LSU implemented various programs to put an end to sexual violence, he said.
LSUPD offers resources for victims of sexual violence. Its Rape Aggression Defense Systems Basic Self Defense program is a comprehensive, 12-hour course for women that includes physical training and education for women on risk awareness, reduction, recognition and avoidance.
The LSU Office of Wellness and Health Promotion and LSUPD have R.A.D. Certified Instructors on staff who regularly host the R.A.D. Basic Self Defense Class on LSU’s campus, according to the report.
“We think it’s a good opportunity for our female students to have those extra tools in their toolbox, should they ever need them and should they ever be in a position where they have to use them,” Lalonde said.
In addition to R.A.D., the report mentions the university’s Lighthouse Program, which defines the term “survivor” as “someone who has directly experienced a sexual assault,” while “at-risk” refers to someone who “is in an abusive/violent dating relationship, who is experiencing further abuse after terminating the relationship, or who is being stalked.”
The program has a vested interest in obtaining an accurate account of the number of sexual assaults occurring on- or off-campus involving student survivors, according to the report.
Lighthouse Advocates file police reports and university judicial reports, obtain emotional support and medical care and arrange safe housing for victims.
Another key resource mentioned is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, which provides a forensic exam, medical screening, testing and support at no cost to the victim.
Steib said LSU has a long-standing history of actively addressing sexual assault on campus.
“Whenever you look at the institutional response that LSU has, it’s a really holistic and robust support system put in place for students and our entire LSU community,” Steib said.