Editor’s note: This story includes mention of sexual violence or assault. Resources are available here.
The Indiana Daily Student recognizes that sexual violence and assault are pertinent issues on college campuses across the nation, including at IU Bloomington. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual assault makes up the greatest proportion, 43%, of all on-campus crimes in the United States.
In 2024, the IU Police Department recorded 60 cases of sexual violence on IU Bloomington’s campus, a leap from 48 the year prior. IUPD additionally reported 12 off-campus instances in 2024, compared to two such instances in 2023.
During the fall 2025 semester, the IDS chronicled 35 reports of rape, sexual battery or sexual assault made to IUPD.
- Sexual assault is defined by IU as any sex offense that meets the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report program’s definitions of rape, fondling, incest or statutory rape.
- Rape is defined by IU as the nonconsensual penetration of private body parts by an object or another person’s body part. IU’s definition also includes oral penetration by a sex organ of another person.
- Sexual battery is defined by Indiana code as the nonconsensual touching of another person’s private body parts to satisfy the sexual desires of the perpetrator or another individual.
Of the 35 sexual violence reports, 28 were classified as sexual assaults by IUPD. Five were reported as rape, and the remaining two were reported as an attempted rape and a sexual battery.
Students, specifically first-year students, are especially at risk for experiencing sexual assault during the start of the fall semester to Thanksgiving Break — a time referred to by some researchers and experts as the “Red Zone.” IUPD logged 27 reports of sexual violence occurring during the “Red Zone” period.
Victims reported 17 cases themselves, or around 48% of the reports, with the rest brought to IUPD through other organizations like IU Health or the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, only about 20% of college students who experienced sexual violence reported it to law enforcement. According to RAINN, 13% of students experience sexual violence at some point during their college careers, including 26% of women and 21% of genderqueer or nonbinary students.
Additionally, many cases of sexual violence aren’t reported immediately after they occur. Of cases reported last semester, 13 of the 35 were reported at least one month after they occurred, with one report alleging abuse between 2005 and 2010.
By the time of publication, four cases of sexual violence had been reported to IUPD during the spring 2026 semester.
A list of resources is available here if you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or abuse.
