Male student at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville reports rape; police question acquaintance

FILE -- In this May 25, 2020, file photo, Old Main at the University of Arkansas is lit by the rising sun after storms rolled through the area. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
FILE -- In this May 25, 2020, file photo, Old Main at the University of Arkansas is lit by the rising sun after storms rolled through the area. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)

FAYETTEVILLE -- A 19-year-old student told police Monday he was raped at a University of Arkansas residence hall by someone known to him, said Lt. Michael Oakes with the university's Police Department.

The student said the rape took place at Hotz Hall on the night of Feb. 10 or early the next day.

Police are investigating an acquaintance who is also a 19-year-old male UA student, Oakes said Wednesday.

Data from surveys of students at various colleges showed that 6.8% of undergraduate men said they experienced non-consensual sexual contact by physical force or while they were unable to consent because they had passed out or were incapacitated due to alcohol or drugs, for example, according to a 2020 report from the Association of American Universities.

The rates were about 20% for college women and also for students identifying as transgender, nonbinary or otherwise gender nonconforming, according to the report. A total of 108,221 undergraduate students and 73,531 graduate or professional students completed the survey.

In addition to the police investigation, UA's Title IX office also is involved with the case, and the university is working to provide whatever support services may be requested by the student reporting the rape, Oakes said.

"We wouldn't be treating this case any different than any other case reported to us," Oakes said.

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