AU Public Safety released its first Crime Alert of the semester on Aug. 23 after a female AU student was sexually assaulted during Welcome Week.
The crime took place on Aug. 22 and was classified as a sex offense, according to the Crime Alert.
“[The] suspect had intercourse with the victim after being told that she did not consent,” the Crime Alert said.
The sex offense took place inside a residence hall, but the AU Daily Crime Log did not identify which residence hall the sex offense took place in.
Public Safety decided not to identify the specific residence hall to protect the victim’s identity and, “to avoid further traumatizing her with the issuance of the expedient crime alert,” Vice President of Communication Terry Flannery said by email. The individuals also knew each other and identifying the hall would not help prevent another sexual assault, she said in the email.
The sex offense on Aug. 22 was one of only four on-campus sex offenses documented in the AU Daily Crime since June 2008 that did not include a specific on-campus location. The other three crimes that were not listed with a specific campus location include:
- a Jan. 17, 2011 forcible sex offense on “main campus and perimeters”
- a Oct. 26, 2011 sex offense on “Tenley Campus”
- a Feb. 24 forcible sex offense in a “residence hall”
The sex offense was reported to the Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department, according to the Crime Alert.
A report has been filed with Public Safety, according to the Crime Alert. No criminal complaint was filed, according to the Daily Crime Log.
A disciplinary hearing through the Office of Student Conflict and Conflict Resolution services will only take place if the survivor files a complaint with the office, Flannery said by email.
Last academic year there were a total of 22 sex offenses, forcible fondlings or attempted forcible fondlings reported to AU Public Safety, according to the AU Daily Crime Log. Of those 22 crimes, only one sexual misconduct case was brought to the Office of Student Conflict and Conflict Resolution Services, according to data provided by Dean of Students Robert Hrasky by email.
Since the Crime Alert was released, a forcible sex offense took place on Aug. 31 at an unknown off-campus location, according to the AU Daily Crime Log.
