The number of reported forcible sexual assaults that occurred on College property decreased by more than half between 2008 and 2009, falling from 22 to 10, according to the College's Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released on Wednesday. Reported burglaries decreased by over 75 percent, while liquor law arrests nearly doubled.
Associate Director of Safety and Security Keiselim Montas said that the department would like to believe that the reduction in sexual assaults is due to successful outreach and education efforts, but that it would be "foolish to claim full credit."
The reduced sexual assault numbers are most likely due to a combination of under-reporting 90 percent of sexual crimes are not reported and an actual reduction in the number of incidents of sexual assault, according to Montas.
The report also revealed a reduction in the number of burglaries reported on campus properties, from 42 in 2007 and 20 in 2008 to five in 2009. Because the numbers are based only on reported burglaries, the decrease in numbers does not necessarily indicate a decrease in the amount of theft on campus, Montas said.
In the past year, the definition of burglary was redefined to require clear intent to commit a crime in the Department of Education's Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting, which determines how campuses tabulate incidents of burglary.
"We cannot fairly compare numbers, because last year's report and this year's report are not under the same guidelines," he said.
The number of liquor law arrests reported on campus in the past year has nearly doubled since 2007, from 59 to 110, according to the report.
"Students are coming to Dick's House at greater levels of intoxication and need to be immediately transported to the hospital," Montas said, adding that a single incident involving 12 people may have skewed the numbers.
The Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee, in its May report, published similar findings indicating that intoxicated students referred to health officials have had higher levels of blood alcohol content than in previous years. Part of the committee's proposals are aimed at reducing student BACs, committee members said previously.
The number of liquor law violations that were referred for disciplinary action, on the other hand, decreased from 119 cases reported on campus in 2007 to only 24 cases reported in 2009.
The College's attempts to treat alcohol abuse as a student health issue as opposed to a legal issue may have contributed to the drop in disciplinary cases, Montas said.
"Before any liquor law violation resulted in disciplinary action. Now, a greater number of violations result in counseling," he said.
Reported numbers of arson, drug law arrests and drug law violations referred for disciplinary action have all stayed relatively constant, according to the report. From 2007 to 2009, there were no reported cases of robbery, aggravated assault, illegal weapons possession arrests or illegal weapons possession violations referred for disciplinary action.
Data in the College's Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports comes from daily Internet reports, which are gathered from Safety and Security officers, Hanover Police, as well as other security authorities, defined as "deans, counselors, coaches, and anyone else who has authority over student welfare," Montas said.
Data in college reports often fluctuates depending on policy changes and "unforeseen environmental factors," according to Montas.
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is mandated by the federal Clery Act.
