Spring Break
Classes help lower sexual assault cases
Seventh annual "No Zebras" one useful tool
By: Todd Balazovic
Issue date: 8/1/07 Section: News
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Central Michigan University is one of the national models for dealing with sexual aggression, said Stephen Thompson, coordinator for sexual aggression services.
"There is not a school that does more to address this issue," said Thompson, who has been a profiler of sexual crimes for almost 30 years.
Requiring incoming students to attend "No Zebras, No Excuses", a presentation put on by Thompson and the Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates (SAPA), is a tactic CMU has been using to help prevent sexual aggression for more than seven years.
Prevention is one of the only workable solutions to sexual aggression, said Kathy Hagenian, executive policy director for Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
"Quite frankly, the only thing that is going to truly prevent sexual assault is for the people who are going to be perpetrators to choose not to be one," Hagenian said.
According to the SAPA Web site, five percent of college women raped report it to the police.
Confidentiality training for both resident assistants and multicultural advisors is one strategy CMU uses to help lower the number of these unreported cases, Thompson said.
He said the three most common forms of sexual aggression found on college campuses are sexual assault, partner abuse and stalking.
A steady decline
There has been a decrease of forcible sexual conduct indicents at CMU over the last three years, according to statistics posted on the CMU Police Web site.
Seven cases of forcible sexual conduct were reported on campus in 2003. Two were reported in 2004 and three in 2005.
Detective Sergeant Jeffery Pickler of the CMU Police Deparment said two cases of criminal sexual conduct were reported thus far this year. Six were reported in 2005 and five were reported in 2006.
Cyber stalking
Partner abuse and sexual assault have been on the decline in the past few years, but stalking is becoming increasingly prevalent, Thompson said.
"There is not a school that does more to address this issue," said Thompson, who has been a profiler of sexual crimes for almost 30 years.
Requiring incoming students to attend "No Zebras, No Excuses", a presentation put on by Thompson and the Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates (SAPA), is a tactic CMU has been using to help prevent sexual aggression for more than seven years.
Prevention is one of the only workable solutions to sexual aggression, said Kathy Hagenian, executive policy director for Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
"Quite frankly, the only thing that is going to truly prevent sexual assault is for the people who are going to be perpetrators to choose not to be one," Hagenian said.
According to the SAPA Web site, five percent of college women raped report it to the police.
Confidentiality training for both resident assistants and multicultural advisors is one strategy CMU uses to help lower the number of these unreported cases, Thompson said.
He said the three most common forms of sexual aggression found on college campuses are sexual assault, partner abuse and stalking.
A steady decline
There has been a decrease of forcible sexual conduct indicents at CMU over the last three years, according to statistics posted on the CMU Police Web site.
Seven cases of forcible sexual conduct were reported on campus in 2003. Two were reported in 2004 and three in 2005.
Detective Sergeant Jeffery Pickler of the CMU Police Deparment said two cases of criminal sexual conduct were reported thus far this year. Six were reported in 2005 and five were reported in 2006.
Cyber stalking
Partner abuse and sexual assault have been on the decline in the past few years, but stalking is becoming increasingly prevalent, Thompson said.
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