HOUSTON – Several Texas universities have seen an increase in the number of sexual assaults reported on campus over the past two years. However, educators, students and counselors do not believe this is due to an increase in attacks, but rather an effort on the part of universities to make students are more aware of how these cases are handled and what services are available to victims.
One example of the problem universities are facing is told by a woman who was raped by a fellow student six years ago. Channel 2 Investigates was introduced to this woman through counselors at the Houston Area Women’s Center. She asked that we not reveal her identity.
“I was 20 years old, it was my sophomore year of college,” she said.
The woman said she met a fellow student at a party and he invited her out on a date.
“He seemed really charming, really sweet,” she said. “He just seemed like the guy you could introduce to your parents.”
The woman said after dinner and two and-a-half drinks, one of the last memories she had was getting into her date’s car.
“What was your next memory after that?” asked Channel 2 Investigates' Robert Arnold.
“Nothing, just waking up the next morning,” she said. “I saw a condom on the floor and I asked him why that was there. I don't remember what happened.”
She said she asked the man more questions, but only got vague answers.
“He just said, 'If you don't remember it, then it doesn't count,’” she said.
She said after the attack she was confused and unsure of where to go for help.
“I never heard of anything on campus that was offered,” she said. “Just didn’t feel like I had someone to go to.”
She said when she talked to friends about what happened, she was met with more confusion.
“People were saying, ‘Are you sure that’s what it was? Are you sure you were raped?’” she said.
She said she even struggled to understand what exactly happened to her since her view of rape at the time was limited.
“When I thought of rape I always thought of back alleys, someone you don’t know, a stranger,” she said.
This woman said she did contact a hospital to inquire about being tested to determine if she had been drugged, but was told without a police report they couldn’t perform any tests.
What happened to this young lady is far from uncommon on college campuses. When Channel 2 Investigates looked at crime reports for a dozen Texas universities and colleges; nearly half reported increases in the number of sexual assaults reported.
The University of Houston saw the number of “forcible sexual offenses” go from two in 2012 to 13 in 2014, the latest numbers available.
File: University of Houston Annual Security and Fire Report
“Do you think it's more instances are happening or just more are now being reported?” Arnold asked.
“I definitely now think more are being reported,” said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, Title IX coordinator for U of H. “Students are being more informed and more educated on what their rights are.”
Baker's job at the University of Houston is to ensure students' civil rights are protected, which includes making sure allegations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct are properly investigated and victims receive every service they need. Title IX refers to federal civil rights laws that prohibit sex discrimination in education programs and activities. The federal government requires every campus to have a Title IX coordinator.
Rice University saw a similar increase to UH, with two “forcible sexual offenses” reported in 2012 and 14 reported in 2014.
“We are confident these are the result of increased awareness on our campus,” said Dr. John Hutchinson, Rice’s dean of undergraduates. “There’s a greater understanding on the part of our students of the kinds of resources that are available to them, the kind of response the university will make.”
Both Hutchinson and Baker said awareness is key in making sure students understand exactly how complaints are handled and how survivors will be treated.
“They can recognize then that they will be handled in a very caring and compassionate way,” said Hutchinson.
Every university we looked at has programs in place to let students know how to report sexual assaults, how the investigation will be handled and what help they can receive, even if they don't want to file criminal charges.
File: Texas A&M University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
“We're going to work with survivors of sexual assault to make sure their environment is safe,” said Baker. “It’s not just pursuing a criminal complaint, but also an internal adjustment in their schedule or in their educational opportunities.”
Both Rice and UH make sure all incoming students attend orientations on this topic. Rice also helped pioneer something called a Title IX navigator -- an advocate who is assigned to work with victims.
“They are there for the student if they need to get a protective order or go to the hospital. They’re there to help them file for crime victims compensation or talk to the district attorney,” said Allison Vogt, who is with Rice’s Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Title IX Support. “What the student needs, that person is there to help them, case-manage them, if you will, into receiving all the services that they need.”
You can read more about Rice’s S.A.F.E. program and survey on Unwanted Sexual Experiences here.
Counselors at the Houston Area Women's Center concur this type of work helps students move past some of the fears they may have in reporting an attack.
File: Baylor University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
“For students who've been sexually assaulted on campus, 90 percent of the time they know the assailant,” said Leticia Manzano, the sexual assault services coordinator and counselor at the Houston Area Women’s Center. “Many times they are in classes with this person. Many times there’s pressure from this person’s, the assailant’s friends not to come forward, not to get him in trouble.”
Manzano said she has seen an increase in students coming in for counseling and attributes that to universities helping create an environment where students know complaints are taken seriously.
“As people are more understanding of what a victim goes through, then more reports are going to be made,” said Manzano.
Another component of the work universities are doing on this front comes in educating students on what sexual assault is and exactly what consent means.
“In order for someone to understand what sexual assault is, they have to understand what consent is,” said Baker. “You got to get the ‘yes,’ before you get the ‘no.’”
Watch a “Coogs Get Consent” orientation here.
Hutchinson said Rice also tries to impress on students that consent is more than a simple yes or no.
“How do you communicate with each other, how do you treat each other with respect? How do you think about other people’s lives and their wishes?” Hutchinson said.
File: Prairie View A&M University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
Manzano said many times, students don’t quite comprehend these terms.
“Young men using consent as an excuse and not understanding what that means, that consent has to be present at all times,” said Manzano. “Some of the excuses I’ve heard are, ‘Well, we had sex once before so I thought I could just do it again. Well, I heard she had sex with two of my other friends, so why not me?’”
Highlighting all of this is a warning to universities from the woman KPRC spoke with and who said she didn’t know where to turn when she was raped. She said it took her months to understand what happened to her and years of hard work and counseling to take back control of her life.
“Colleges have a huge impact because they're dealing with very vulnerable ages that face sexual assault,” she said.
Recently Baylor University has faced a backlash over its handling of some rape allegations.
If you are a victim of rape or domestic violence, you can contact the Houston Area Women’s Center’s 24-hour hotlines at 713-528-2121 (domestic violence) or 713-528-7273 (rape). All counseling services are provided free of charge.