Editor’s note • This article discusses sensitive topics such as sexual violence and assault. The University Counseling Center can offer support to students. Call 801-581-6826 or visit the website.
The University of Utah released its annual crimes report for 2023 on Thursday. The report shows a significant jump in reported rapes and dating violence, but the U said most of these reports stem from the experiences of one victim.
“This year, both reports will show substantial increases in reported cases of sexual assaults and dating violence,” the all-campus email notifying students and staff of the report release read. “But looking closer at the numbers, 150 [out of 172] of those reported sexual assaults occurred in a single relationship plagued by a history of coercion and interpersonal violence.”
State and federal law require these crime reports.
The Jeanne Clery Act requires that any university receiving public funding release annual security reports by Oct. 1 each year. The reports must show data for the previous three years and include reporting resources, educational resources and details on how the campus plans to improve public safety.
The Clery Act requires the U to document reported cases. Cases do not have to have charges associated with them to be present in the report.
The report also only details events reported to campus police. Off-campus crimes experienced by students only reported to the Salt Lake Police Department will not be reflected in the campus reports.
The Report
Rapes and dating violence reported by the victim, occurred in 2021 and 2022. The student did not report these events until January 2023. The only categories in the crimes report impacted by this victim’s reports are rape and dating violence, according to a post from @theU.
“Clery does require that we count these acts when they were reported and not when the acts occurred, which is why they are represented in this year’s report,” Deputy Chief Safety Officer Kimberly Barnett said.
The @theU post said “[The] student reported an almost-daily pattern of nonconsensual sex with their ex-partner — both on and off campus,” adding that “during the seven-month relationship, which spanned 2021 and 2022, at times he stalked the student, following them into campus housing. And threatened the student physically — sometimes with a gun.”
In the past year, the victim-survivor has worked with UUPD crime victim advocates and has been connected with resources for future support.
The victim did not pursue charges in this case, according to the @theU article.
“The other thing of prime concern was just the victim and how this could impact that individual, and doing everything we can to protect their privacy and concerns for them,” Chief Safety Officer Keith Squires said.
The alleged perpetrator is not a part of the campus community, according to an FAQ answered by the @theU article.
What Is Dating Violence?
Dating violence is marked by abuse committed against a victim by their romantic or intimate partner. Abuse can take several forms, including emotional, physical, sexual and verbal.
“The absolute most dangerous time for a survivor in leaving a relationship is when they leave it,” Chris Linder, director of the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention, said. “So sometimes people stay in a relationship because it’s actually the safest for them because when people leave, the person loses control over them, and that’s when the behavior escalates into murder, as we’ve seen in other cases.”
Linder also said abusive behavior can become normalized. Abusive behavior often builds, Linder said, so it can be difficult to identify troubling patterns from the start. Another common tactic abusers use is isolating their victims. That way, victims feel they have no one else to turn to when they need help.
Consent is an explicit, voluntary and informed agreement to a specific activity. If consent has been given for one activity, that does not mean consent has been given to that activity moving forward. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
In the contextual article from @theU, the U explained how perpetrators of abuse often have trauma themselves they’ve yet to work through.
“The trauma they experienced leads to disconnection and an inability or refusal to empathize with other people,” the article reads.
Linder said the McCluskey Center is working to disrupt abusive patterns people exhibit before they start.
“We’re trying to work on educating students about what harmful behavior is from the perspective of the person causing harm, to get those people to recognize their harmful behavior,” Linder said. “And so it’s about trying to help us understand how to interrupt the behavior of the people causing harm before it gets to the level of this situation.”
Other Reported Crimes
The report shows an increase in several other crimes, as well. Stalking cases rose from 69 to 117. Todd Justesen, associate director of Clery programs and compliance, said this is likely because 2023 was the first year after COVID-19, so the U had a full campus of staff, students, visitors and more.
The threshold for a report to be considered stalking is low in the Clery Act. Justesen explained that stalking is defined as “two or more incidents that cause a reasonable person to be impaired for their safety.”
The report also showed an increase in reported domestic violence incidents, from 20 in 2022 to 30 in 2023. Fondling also saw a small increase, from 51 in 2022 to 55 in 2023.
Other crimes like motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault decreased.
Squires said that to help address crime and safety concerns at on-campus housing, the U is launching a pilot program that would employ an officer who would be a regular presence there.
“It will be a residential officer program that we’re working with our Housing and Residential Education Department at the U, and that officer that’s being selected is very specifically being sought to have the right skill sets that will be regular presence in the dorms,” Squires said.
Resources
There’s a multitude of resources available at the U for a variety of support. Student Affairs offers mental health support. Victim crime advocates can be accessed through the SafeUT website or app and through the Basic Needs Collective.
Here’s a list of other campus entities that can offer support:
University Counseling Center (students only): 801-581-6826
Office for Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX: 801-581-8365
Huntsman Mental Health Institute crisis line (available 24/7): 801-587-3000
Center for Campus Wellness (victim-survivor advocates, bystander intervention training and other support services): 801-581-7776
Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement: 801-581-7392
Center for Disability and Access: 801-581-5020, [email protected]
Dream Center: 801-581-3470
Employee Assistance Program (staff): 801-587-9319 or 800-926-9619
Housing and Residential Education (available 24/7): 801-587-2002
International Student and Scholar Services: 801-581-8876, [email protected]
Office of the Dean of Students: 801-581-7066
Veterans Support Center: 801-587-7722, [email protected]
