University Police Department issued a warning Sunday regarding a report of sexual battery at approximately 2 a.m. in the rear parking lot of Stewart Hall.
Enforced by the United State Department of Education, the Federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy Act of 1988 requires colleges and universities to disclose reports and statistics of crime on and around campuses.
There were 13 cases of forcible sexual offense reported to UPD from 2011 to 2013, according to the department’s most recent annual report mandated by the Clery Act. Of these crimes, nine occurred in campus residential facilities.
The university defines forcible sex offenses as any sexual offense not involving incest or statutory rape.
The same report said three forcible sex offenses were reported to other university officials within the same timeframe and not investigated by UPD.
University of Mississippi Violence Prevention Coordinator Lindsey Bartlett Mosvick said, in some cases, victims do not want investigations.
“I think there’s often shame and embarrassment associated with this happening to you in the first place,” Bartlett Mosvick said. “If you move forward with an investigation, a lot of people are going to know.”
Sophomore integrated marketing communications and French double major Corbin Smith advocated a required semi-annual sexual assault education program for university students.
“We should teach not only how to prevent it, but also that it’s not okay,” Smith said. “We should be teaching society to not rape, rather than to not be raped.”
The 2014 Clery report also included 15 cases of forcible sex offense reported to the Oxford Police Department and 23 cases reported to the Lafayette County Sheriff Department
Bartlett Mosvick pointed out that, in addition to being geographically restricted to the university campus and its immediate surroundings, the Clery statistics are limited by underreporting of sexual assault in general.
“There’s a study that says 88 percent of students who are sexually assaulted while in college don’t report at all,” Bartlett Mosivick said. “Our numbers that we report are never going to capture everyone who truly is affected by sexual violence on our campus.”
The Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College Student Union, the Associated Student Body Committee on Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement and the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies sponsored a panel discussion and documentary screening of “The Hunting Ground” Tuesday in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The documentary details the work of campus rape prevention activists Annie E. Clark and Andrea Pino. The film also uses interviews with numerous victims and other activists to shed light on the prominence of sexual assault at colleges and universities and administrational mishandling of these cases. The screening marked the end of a student-organized spring film series.
Senior international studies, public policy leadership and Spanish triple major Joe Bell is one of the students responsible for organizing the film series.
“I hope people took away the importance of creating a community that not only does not tolerate such behavior, but is also open and caring for people who are willing to share their story and try to correct a serious issue,” Bell said.
Jaime Harker, interim director at the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, expressed support and sympathy for victims of sexual assault, but also said the ongoing nature of these crimes makes events like Tuesday’s film screening timely and relevant.
“What happened this weekend is an unfortunate reminder of why Sexual Assault Awareness Month is important,” Harker said. “Until we figure out how to talk about it and how to get not just the predators, but all members of the community to pay attention and keep people safe, it’s going to keep happening.”
