Study Reports that Rape is Commonplace on College Campuses.

By Andrew Lucas

A study released today showed that 3 percent of college women experience an attempted and/or completed rape during a college year. 90 percent of the time the victim knew the offender.

The report, released by the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, takes a look at the prevalence and nature of sexual assault occurring on American college campuses.

The study results are based on a telephone survey of a randomly selected, national sample of 4,446 women who were attending a 2 or 4 year college or university. The sample was limited to schools with at least 1,000 students.

One disturbing fact that was found in the survey was that for ever 1,000 women attending a college institution, 35 incidents of rape will occur in a given academic year.

Other statistics include:

-1.7% of female college students were victims of attempted rape.

-About 1.7% women reported being coerced into sex.

-An estimated 13% of college women have been stalked since the beginning of the school year.

-Nearly 60% of completed rapes occurred in the victim’s place of residence.

-30% occurred in other locations.

-10% occurred at a fraternity.

“Most victims knew the person who sexually victimized them,” the authors, Bonnie S Fisher, Francis T. Cullen and Michael G. Turner, wrote. “For both completed and attempted rapes, about nine in 10 offenders were known to the victim. Most often a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend acquaintance, or coworker sexually victimized the women. College professors were not identified as committing any rapes or sexual coercions, but they were cited as the offender in a low percentage of cases involving unwanted sexual contact.”

Based on their findings, Bonnie Fisher and her colleagues estimate that the women at a college that has 10,000 female students could experience more than 350 rapes a year—at a finding with serious implications for college administrators.

In closing, the report attempts to take the information found and developing programs and policies that may reduce female students’ risk of victimization.

Additional information:

-The report