Assault report shakes residents

A 20-year-old female student was sexually assaulted early Friday morning in a lobby in Briscoe Quad, according to a police report. The student was the victim of sexual battery by an acquaintance, and the case is under investigation.\nThe incident follows a string of assaults on campus in Wright and Forest Quads and comes as students and community officials are talking about preventing sexual assault.\nWhile it's fairly common for women to be assaulted, females can take steps to avoid sexual assault, said Cathi Crabtree, an on-scene advocate for Middle Way House in Bloomington.\n"Rape and sexual assault are the most underreported crimes," Crabtree said, citing FBI statistics. Crabtree said 75 to 90 percent of all rapes on campus are date rapes, meaning the victim personally knows their attacker. But of those cases, Crabtree said many go unreported because there is still a stigma attached to sexual assault.\n"Society still seems to blame the victim," Crabtree said. \nDuring this year's Take Back the Night, Crabtree spoke about what steps females can take to avoid future assaults on campus. She said students should be strong in their voice and body language and should communicate their limits clearly.\n"When they say no, (people) should take it seriously," Crabtree said.\nCrabtree said another factor in sexual assaults is the influence of drugs and alcohol. She said if students are drinking, they should always keep their drink in their possession and should never take a drink from someone else because others can place "date rape" drugs in other people's drinks. Alcohol can also slow someone's judgment and reaction time.\n"You just have to be aware of your circumstances," Crabtree said. \nDespite the recent sexual assaults at IU, Crabtree said all students should feel safe on campus and in their dorms.\n"As long as people are conscious and aware, IU is probably as safe as anything," Crabtree said.\nFreshman Ashley Fuhry, who lives in Briscoe, said she feels very safe in the dorms, but the recent date rape in Briscoe bothers her.\n"I don't put myself in those situations, but I could see how it could happen to somebody," Fuhry said. \nOn her floor, Fuhry's residential assistants have held floor meetings to discuss what students should do in certain situations that arise on campus, which included sexual confrontations.\n"Everyone on this floor agreed that if we saw someone we didn't know, we'd tell someone," Fuhry said.\nFor students that find themselves involved in an unwanted sexual encounter, the Sexual Assault Crisis Service is available on campus for all students, faculty and staff. SACS offers a confidential 24-hour crisis line, as well as individual counseling for students.\nDebbie Melloan-Ruiz, a counselor at SACS, said the more a female can control themselves, the less vulnerable she will be.\n"It is important for males to know that having sex with someone that is passed out does constitute rape," Melloan-Ruiz said.\nCrabtree advised female students that if a sexual assault ever happens to them, they should immediately go the hospital.\n"If anyone is assaulted, their best chance to prove if anything happened is going to the hospital," Crabtree said. The hospital will then conduct an evidentiary exam. The odds of proving if a sexual encounter was rape or consensual sex is difficult, but easier if there is immediate medical attention.\n"The sooner that they can get that exam done, the better," Crabtree said. \nFrom there, both the police and the Middle Way House will step in.\nBut even with preventive steps against rape, sexual encounters are still likely to take place on campus.\n"The main thing I'd want to stress, is rape is never the victim's fault, because I think our society sometimes still forgets that," Crabtree said.