This document summarizes research on sexual assault statistics and prevention tactics at colleges. It finds that the majority of Utah universities have centers for women that provide counseling and education on sexual assault. However, some universities do more like offer self-defense classes or discuss assault prevention during orientation. The research also finds that assaults are more common during the fall semester and often involve alcohol/drugs. Most victims know their attackers as friends or acquaintances. While informing students and parents of university resources can help prevention and guide victims, more support is still needed, especially for LGBTQ students and students of color.

1.
Sexual Assault Statistics and College Prevention Tactics: A White Paper Drafted
for the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah Teen Council
By: Mauricio Laguan and Liesl Limburg
Department of Political Science
at
The University of Utah
11/25/2014
Gender and Politics 3140
Zamora

2. Recent reports of sexual assaults on college campuses, nationally and in­state, have
caused us to question why we have seen such an increased, or consistent number, of violent acts
against women and what can be done to prevent such behavior. As reported by The Washington
Post, between 2010 ­ 2012 alone, the nine most prominent universities in Utah had a combined
number of 62 reported assaults ( an average of 6.8 per university) ­ not to mention the number of
sexual crimes that went unreported. Nationally, Penn State by itself had the misfortune of
claiming the most acts of sexual violence, which was reported at a whopping 36 in just three
years (Anderson 2014).
To claim that such conduct against unsuspecting, innocent women, can simply be
attributed to what they were wearing, the physical area in which they were in, or what activities
they had been participating in surrounding the events, is shallow and arbitrary. We would like to
turn attention to educating the youth who are preparing to enter college on what programs and
institutions colleges are creating, promoting, and developing that will provide aid to those who
are victims and prevention tactics to decrease the number of sexual assaults against male and
female students.
We propose that along with cognitive education for teens ­ education that teaches teens
what behavior is and is not appropriate towards members of the opposite sex and how to have
beneficial relationships with members of the opposite sex ­ it is important for them to be aware
of what resources and programs combating sexual violence are available to them at the in­state
universities that they will be likely to attend. Planned Parenthood currently has a teen council
that provides peer education, using accurate, unbiased sexuality education with the intent that

3. they will “end ignorance, promote tolerance, and improve communication between teens and the
important people in their lives” (Planned Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.com).
Currently, the Teen Council is preparing to give a seminar to high school seniors in the
Summit School district in hopes of helping the students to have an easier transition into their
freshman year of college by providing insight as to what the students can expect from their first
year of college. As part of their preparation for the seminar, and with the seriousness of sexual
assaults on college campuses, it has become necessary to research what actions the universities
are taking to help prevent sexual violence and provide aide to those that are victims.
The information that has come from the research will be presented to the students and
their parents as part of the senior seminar. The intent of this paper is to provide some essential
information that the Teen Council needs in order to expand their development for the senior
seminar. Information will be provided on the eight major universities across Utah and what
initiatives they are taking to aid victims of sexual violence and what precautions are being taken.
The universities and colleges include: Brigham Young University, Dixie State University,
Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University,
Weber State University and Westminster College. Additionally, we will offer information
regarding when students are more at risk to become victims of sexual assault and what factors ­
such as time, place, race, gender, sexual orientation and the use of drugs and alcohol ­ contribute
to sexual violence.
Research

4. The main part of our research was conducted by visiting each university’s and college
websites and gathering information to formulate a chart to demonstrate what resources each
university and college is offering to their students and faculty members. As shown in the chart
below, each of the eight universities has a center for women that provides counseling services
and education for sexual assault prevention and recovery.
Some of the universities went beyond the basic standard of listing prevention tactics,
policies and procedures for filing complaints, and providing telephone numbers, to having a
section of the their freshman orientation centered around combating sexual violence and also
offering a semester long course in self­defense training specifically geared towards rape
aggression defense for female coeds.
BYU DSU SUU UofU USU UVU WSU WC
Resource Center for Women Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Affiliated Emergency Hotline
Number
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sexual Assault Statistics
Listed on University’s Website
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes x Yes Yes
Preventions Tactics Listed on
University’s Website
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes x Yes Yes
Emergency Phone Numbers
Listed on Website
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes x Yes Yes
Affiliated with Campus Police Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes x Yes Yes
Policy Procedures x Yes Yes Yes Yes x Yes Yes
On­campus Hotline Number x x Yes x x x x x
Self­Defense Education Class Yes x x x x x x x
Sexual Assault Education as
part of Freshman Orientation
x x Yes x x x x x

5.
The information provided in this chart will be beneficial to the Teen Council by
contributing pertinent information to their peers and their peers’ parents in knowing where the
students can turn to for help, and to whom they can depend on to answer questions and assist
with concerns, before they begin their college careers. The parents will also benefit by being
provided peace of mind with the knowledge that the universities and colleges their children will
be attending are making an effort to administer a safe environment to promote better education.
Along with this information, it is also important for the students and their parents to be
presented with statistics that demonstrate when sexual assault crimes are most likely to be
committed, so that they are better equipped to self­prevent said situations from occurring.
According to a study conducted by the federal Department of Justice, 19% of all sexual crimes
occur on college campuses and 37.4% of all rapes reported occur between the ages of 18­24 (the
prime ages for young women to attend university) (Nelson 2014).
According to the report, sexual crimes are more likely to occur during the fall semester as
new students are entering the universities and colleges as shown by the steep incline on the graph
below.

6.
Moreover, alcohol and drug use are major contributing factors in sexual crimes among
college students. Of 782 completed sexual assaults reported to the researchers, 651 reported to be
incapacitated by either drug use or alcohol, while 256 reported to be physically forced (Nelson
2014). Intoxication by a variety of substances accounts for more than 3x’s the number of sexual
crimes than those reported where no substance abuse was involved.
Furthermore, it was also reported that college women who are victims of sexual crimes
are more likely to have been previously acquainted with their perpetrator. 59% of the women in
the study reported to have been assaulted by a friend/acquaintance. 36% were reported to have
been on a date with their attacker (Nelson 2014). These reports indicate that the majority of
sexual assaults on campuses occur among student’s peer groups. It is important for students, and
potentially their parents, to be aware of whom they permit into their social circles.

7. Additionally, the research conducted expounds on the necessity of parents and peer
groups understanding what actions to take and what means the universities provide to aid
students who are victims of these crimes. As shown in the graph below, while about 65% of
victims contacted a family or friend after the occurrence, only about 18% utilized a crisis center
or contacted campus police and security departments (Nelson 2014).
Perhaps the students in question would have been more inclined to contact a resource
center or the police if the family member or friend they contacted had been more educated and
better able to encourage the victim to report their assault. This assumption leads us back to the
idea of the necessity of informing both students and parents of what measures the universities
can, and will take, in cases of sexual offenses.
Furthermore, with a changing social dichotomy, it is important to note the effects that
factors such as race, and more so, sexual orientation have on determining what groups are more
likely to become victims of sexual assault. There is currently a need for more research to be

8. conducted in this area. However, a study conducted by the American Association of University
Women shows that students who identify the LGBTQ community are more likely to be victims
of some form of sexual harassment ­ whether physical or verbal ­ than heterosexuals (Hill, Silva
2005).
Moreover, the survey conducted demonstrates that caucasian women are overall more
likely to be victims of sexual harassment­again whether physical or verbal­ than hispanic and
black women (Hill, Silva 2005). Some of the variance may be caused by a higher enrollment of
white women than to women of color.

9.
Conclusion
Providing this information to the teen council will not only allow them to educate their
peers, but give this pertinent information to the parents. Parents can be a good source of helping
to prevent sexual violence by discussing with their children/students what precautions and
preventative measures should be taken in regards to knowing who their friends are, the effects of
substance abuse and alcohol use, and whom to turn to for help if they become victims. This
information and discussion will be most effective before the school year commences during the
fall months.
Furthermore, we recommend that colleges and universities create student surveys to
determine what areas of improvement each campus is in need of. For instance, as students of the
University of Utah, we would recommend campus police foot patrols commence on campus
during the later hours of the evening through the night, when light is limited as well the number

10. of students on campus. In addition, we would recommend the following be implemented to all
universities and colleges throughout the state of Utah:
● Enhancement of all freshmen orientation programs to include, as Southern Utah
University has, a section discussing the prevention of sexual assault against all students
and faculty on campus.
○ Develop more inclusive language in the orientation to include members of the
LGBTQ community who are at risk for sexual assault and harassment.
● Create on­campus hotline numbers for victims of sexual assault.
● Ensure that campus police can be easily contacted in case of an emergency
○ Create campus police precincts where needed.
● Have an easily accessible list of campus policy procedures for reporting sexual assault
crimes available on the campus website.
● Development of resource centers to provide counseling and resources to all students and
faculty that have been victims of sexual assault and harassment.
Lastly, we would like to extend an invitation to all entering freshmen to become active
participants at their universities and colleges to further develop and implement the
recommendations given.

11. Bibliography
Anderson, N. (2014, July 1). Sex Offense Statistics Show U.S College Reports are Rising. ​The
Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2014, from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/sex­offense­statistics­show­us­college­reports­a
re­rising/2014/07/01/982ecf32­0137­11e4­b8ff­89afd3fad6bd_story.html
Hill, C., & Silva, E. (2005). Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus. Retrieved
November 23, 2014, from
http://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/drawing­the­line­sexual­harassment­on­campus.pdf
Nelson, L. (2014, May 9). Six charts that explain sexual assault on college campuses. Retrieved
November 1, 2014, from
http://www.vox.com/2014/5/9/5696162/6­facts­about­sexual­assault­on­campus
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah Teen Council. Retrieved September 27, 2014, from
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned­parenthood­utah/local­education­training/teens/teen­
council
Universities
BYU:
Women’s Services and Resources. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from​ ​https://wsr.byu.edu/
University Police. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from​ ​https://police.byu.edu/
Student Activity Courses. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://studentwellness.byu.edu/physical/activitycourses
DSU:
Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, and Stalking. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.dixie.edu/humanres/policy/review/sexual%20misconduct.pdf
Dixie State University Crime Stats. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://dixie.edu/publicsafety/campus_crime_statistics.php
Mental Health Services. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://dixie.edu/wellness/mental_health.php
Women’s Resource Center. Retrieved October 27, 2104, from​ ​http://dixie.edu/wrc/
SUU:
SUU Orientation. Retrieved October 27​, ​
2014, from
http://www.suu.edu/ss/orientation/checklist.html
Center for Women and Families. October 27, 2014, from​ ​http://suu.edu/cwf/index.html
Safety Resources. October 27, 2014, from​ ​http://www.suu.edu/police/safety­resources.html
Responding to Sexualized Violence and Misconduct. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://suu.edu/pub/policies/pdf/PP115Responding.pdf
U of U:

12. Women’s Resource Center. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
http://womenscenter.utah.edu/community/index.php
USU:
Sexual Assault and Anti­Violence Information. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
http://www.usu.edu/saavi/info/stats.cfm
UVU:
Resources for Success. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from
http://www.uvu.edu/academicstandards/resource/
Women’s Success Center. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from​ ​http://www.uvu.edu/wsc/
WSU:
Women’s Center. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from​ ​http://www.weber.edu/womenscenter
WC:
Sexual Assault and Misconduct Resources. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
https://www.westminstercollege.edu/student_life/?parent=370&detail=16057