A number of inaccuracies were reported in The Daily Campus story “Invisible Victims,” published April 24. The story’s premise is based on the newspaper’s flawed accounting and definition of SMU’s crime statistics.
The story inaccurately used the word “rape” to define all 2006 sexual offenses, when the forcible sex offenses category, as defined by federal law, includes incidents other than forcible sexual intercourse. Additionally, the story combined two categories under federal reporting guidelines, producing an inaccurate number of reported incidents. SMU offers many places on campus where victims may report sexual assault in addition to the SMU Police Department. This may result in a single incident being reported twice. It should also be noted that even though a sexual assault may be reported to SMU, a victim may decide not to pursue any action through either the criminal justice system or the SMU judicial affairs office.
We understand the community’s concern to receive specific details about campus crimes. Federal law, however, prohibits disclosure of many details surrounding a reported incident. When appropriate, SMU notifies the campus community of incidents by posting campus crime alerts. Such alerts often include information about crimes that have occurred both on campus and off campus in areas of interest and proximity to the SMU community.
SMU’s crime statistics also are posted online at smu.edu/pd. There, students can find campus crime logs, including reports of sexual assault. A compilation of crime statistics is required by law and reported each October for the previous year. For instance, universities nationwide will not report statistics for 2007 until October 2008.
Since 2004, SMU has required all first-year students to attend a mandatory program on sexual assault. SMU police offers self-defense courses for students. Additionally, staff from the Women’s Center speaks at all first-year wellness classes about sexual assault.
A victim’s choice to come forward is not easy. There are many decisions that must be made, including whether to press criminal charges or to pursue the school’s judicial process. Whatever the decision, it is the victim’s – not the university’s.
Sexual assault is a real and serious problem facing college campuses nationwide, and SMU takes seriously its role in helping victims cope with assault by providing counseling services, student judicial inquiries and criminal investigations.
These victims are not “invisible,” as The Daily Campus story suggests. Each of these brave students has a face and a voice. To claim otherwise does a disservice to them and to all victims. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault is urged to call SMU police at 214-768-3333 or the Dean of Student Life at 214-768-4564.
Kent Best
Executive Director of News and Media Relations
SMU Office of Public Affairs
