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Utah's rape rate on the increase; nine reported at USU in last three years By
Angela Jorgenson-Haycock
In the year 2000, Utah's rape rate increased by 4 percent. Utah has a rape rate about 15 percent higher than the national rate. (To link to the Utah state government web page comparing national rape statistics with Utah's from 1980-2000, click here.) Statistics show one in four U.S. college women has been sexually assaulted. From the time a woman is born until she dies she has a one in three chance of being sexually assaulted. The Utah State University Police Department defines sexual assault as "an act not amounting to rape in which a person is touched or forced to perform an act that is intended to sexually arouse." Sexual assault is different than rape, in that the act of actual intercourse is not performed. Rape is defined by USU Police as "the act of sexual intercourse, however slight, against the will of another." Nationally, statistics say one woman in eight will be raped while in college. The National Victims Center reported in 1992 that 84 percent of women who were raped knew their assailant. And Woodruff Koss reported in his study that 57 percent of rapes occur on a date. JoAnn Autry, director of the USU Student Wellness Center, says 99 percent of victims knew their assailant on the Utah State University campus. According to U.S. Justice Department statistics, 60 percent of rapes that happened on campus happened in the victim's place of residence, 31 percent occurred in other living quarters on campus and 10 percent of rapes happen at a fraternity. In the past three years, USU police have responded to nine incidents where rape was involved. One of them was unfounded, said Shane Sessions of the USU Police Department. When USU police respond to a rape report, the main priority that they have is to make sure the victim is OK physically, mentally and socially. They do not force people to file charges, said Sessions. That is solely the victim's choice. However, Sessions said that it is important for the victim to deal with it and not just sweep it under a rug. He said that the incident is like a sliver in one's finger. One can put a Band-Aid over it and ignore it, but "that sliver's still there." Autry indicated that USU was very helpful in helping victims deal with an incident like this. The USU Counseling Center is a resource that all students can use. "We have the most incredible, incredibly talented . . . therapists in the state," she said. She also said the center was award-winning. To use the Counseling Center free, an undergraduate only needs to be enrolled for seven credits, and a graduate student only needs to have three credits. A student having these characteristics is eligible for at least 10 sessions. A portion of student fees go towards the Counseling Center. Autry said the fees for the Counseling Center are kind of like an insurance policy. Autry also emphasized protection of oneself in order to prevent sexual assault or rape. She said women need to utilize RAD -- rape aggression defense. This is a class taught by USU police for women only. No men are allowed to attend except for the instructors. In RAD women are taught to use their gross motor skills to defend against an attack. At the end of the class students are allowed to go through simulations where they are able to practice their skills on suited-up instructors.
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