State colleges recap ‘14 crimes in report

Thursday marked deadline for report

Information about liquor law violations at colleges.
Information about liquor law violations at colleges.

FAYETTEVILLE — The statistic that stood out to Capt. Gary Crain was the page count in this year’s campus safety report, which more than doubled in size compared to last year.

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“There’s more information about what to do if a person is a victim or knows a victim,” said Crain, an officer with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s police department.

Thursday marked the deadline for colleges and universities to distribute a safety report under the federal Clery Act, including a recap of 2014 crime.

UA-Fayetteville’s 68-page document, published online, listed a total of three rapes — each occurring in on-campus residential facilities — down from six rape reports in 2013. The totals include credible reports, regardless of whether a criminal charge was filed in the case.

The report listed an additional two rapes that police categorized as unfounded, a new category for UA-Fayetteville’s report. The report also listed two fondling incidents in 2014.

Among other large Arkansas universities, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro reported three forcible sex offenses in 2014, each occurring in residence halls. Arkansas Tech University reported one forcible sex offense in 2014.

The campus reports include lengthy sections addressing sexual violence. UA-Fayetteville’s report devotes 11 pages to prevention and response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. New requirements took effect this year for colleges and universities in how to respond to such cases, with elected officials and others seeking ways to improve the safety of college students.

Arkansas lawmakers this month approved a study proposal from state Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, to examine the problem of sexual assaults within the college population in Arkansas.

Experts say such crimes often go unreported. An Association of American Universities survey found that, among respondents, about one out of every 10 undergraduate women had been raped, with nearly one in four stating they had been the victim of some form of sexual misconduct or sexual assault due to force, threats or being incapacitated.

However, the association noted that results may have been influenced by “non-response bias,” meaning that students who had not been sexually assaulted may have been less likely to take part in the survey, given at 27 universities.

Numbers included in the Clery reports do not encompass incidents that may involve students but take place in off-campus apartments or houses.

“We do want to try to get as accurate as possible a picture of what’s happening in Arkansas,” said Leding, adding that student questionnaires and town hall-style meetings may be used to gather more information about sexual assaults among college students.

Clery reports include incidents in buildings such as fraternity houses operated by student groups and university-controlled property apart from the main campus but still used by students.

Drinking incidents referred for disciplinary action increased by more than 50 percent in 2014 at UA-Fayetteville, rising to 715 from 469 in 2013. Arrests, too, increased, with 156 arrests compared with 126 in 2013.

University discipline varies by incident and if there is a repeat offender, said Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications for UA-Fayetteville’s Division of Student Affairs.

A new alcohol amnesty policy took effect in September of last year. Students seeking medical help for alcohol intoxication, either for themselves or someone else, may avoid school disciplinary action. Nine students applied for amnesty in UA-Fayetteville’s spring semester, with each application approved.

“It can definitely be a safety issue for them, and we know that if parents talk to their students before they get to campus then they’re better off,” Flanagin said. Students are “highly encouraged” to complete an online alcohol education course, with a versions also available for parents, he added.

Two violent crimes took place this year in a wooded area near the main campus and leased by UA-Fayetteville — a machete attack and what police have ruled a homicide. Crain said those crimes will not be included in future Clery reports because the area is not used by students.

In 2014, the university’s Clery report listed zero aggravated assaults and one robbery. An aggravated assault refers to an attack where the result causes severe bodily injury or where a weapon is involved that could lead to such an injury.

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro listed three aggravated assaults and zero robberies in 2014. Arkansas Tech University’s report listed 10 aggravated assaults and one robbery in 2014.

UA-Fayetteville did see an increase in motor vehicle theft, with 35 reports in 2014 compared with 14 the previous year.

Crain said many of the thefts involve scooters, a popular mode of transportation at the Fayetteville campus.

UA-Fayetteville is considering a new public safety fee that would be paid by students. Fayetteville’s fire chief has advocated for creating a fee, proposing that half of it be used to support city firefighters — including construction of a new fire station that would serve the campus — and the other half used for university police.

UA spokesman Laura Jacobs wrote in an email that a group may be put together to study the idea further.

“Given our sensitivity to adding additional student fees, we want to understand the potential impacts and solutions before we would endorse or advance any financial proposal to our board of trustees,” Jacobs wrote in an email.

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