ISU addresses sexual violence through education

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State University held a panel to discuss sexual assault prevention and education Thursday in response to four sexual assaults reported within the first six weeks of fall semester.

Three campus assaults are typically reported throughout the school year, The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reported. But the most recent incidents don't necessarily reflect an increase in crime, according to counselor Gail Trimpe-Morrow and ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff. Trimpe-Morrow, who also serves as the school's sexual assault prevention and survivor services coordinator, said more people have been encouraged to report sexual violence through publicity efforts.

Even if a victim doesn't want to file a report, certain staff and faculty members are required to do so, according to Woodruff.

"We know the vast majority of sexual assaults are not getting reported," he said.

Nearly one in five undergraduate women experience an attempted or completed sexual assault, according to a 2009 study conducted by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Various ISU offices have collaborated with police and community organizations that have programs related to sexual violence, Timpe-Morrow said. The campus offers several programs for students, as well as faculty, to teach them how to respond to unwarranted sexual activity as a victim or observer.