7 Rapes Already Reported At DU This Year, Reporting Is Up Nationwide
DENVER (CBS4) - Rape reporting is up nationwide anywhere from 16 to 30 percent, according to the University of Denver.
When it comes to sexual assault, or rape, the two parties typically know one another, according to DU's Title 9 coordinator Jean McAllister.
"Nothing a victim ever does, male or female, makes them responsible for an assault," McAllister said.
McAllister also told CBS4's Howard Nathan most rapes involve freshman. She says setting boundaries early is important along with making sure the other person understands that "no" means "no."
"Is this someone who listens when you say, 'No, I need to go home now, no I don't want to spend more time together, I can't spend any more time on the phone, I have to study tonight, please respect that,"" McAllister said.
So far this year seven sexual assaults have been reported to DU authorities. They were full-blown rapes, according to McAllister.
The dorm is one place where the rapes occurred, but it's also often in the victim's home or offender's home.
"Of the seven that have been reported this year, six of them were victims who knew their offenders," McAllister said.
In a campus safety alert, students were reminded sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor, and that perpetrators single out individuals for their vulnerability.
McAllister said parents need to have frank conversations with their college students, male and female, about when it's appropriate to engage in sex.
"We do a lot of education on campus about what consent means," she said.
Howard Nathan is a veteran newsman. Decades later, he still enjoys writing a clever sentence, asking the tough question and talking to people in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Howard and read his bio.
