Campus police step up patrols after 5 sex assaults

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Police on Indiana University's main campus have increased patrols and are offering women free self-defense classes after the fifth reported sexual assault since students returned in August.

A 19-year-old student told police that she was jogging near McNutt Quad residence hall when a man grabbed her from behind, pulled her into a grassy area, and raped her Friday night.

No arrests have been made in any of the cases. Police have suspects in two of them, but in two others, the victims are not cooperating with the investigation, possibly fearing retribution from the suspects.

"I think a lot of people are scared. I think girls are more scared, obviously, because you do not have control over it," student Haley Gillman said.

In each of the five cases, the victims were nowhere near an emergency call box.

IU Police Chief Keith Cash said he his force had increased patrols.

"There are other things we are doing, but we don't report them," Cash said.

The Bloomington campus had eight reports of forcible sexual offenses in 2007 and five in 2008, but that number increased to 21 in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Complete campus crime data for 2010 to date was not available.

"The largest part of the iceberg are those that go completely unreported, or students that don't seek any type of help whatsoever," said Nancy Stockton, director of the IU Counseling Center and sexual assault hotline.

IU campus police officers have teamed up with Bloomington police to offer self-defense classes called RAD, or Rape Aggression Defense, a self-defense program that's popular on college campuses across the country.

"These types of incidents can happen anywhere," IU police Sgt. Leslie Slone said. "Whether it's a city, college campus, or rural area, it can happen anywhere, and awareness is your best friend."