Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of sexual assault. Resources are available below.
The IU Police Department received reports of two sexual batteries, one battery and one rape during Welcome Week, the week leading up to the first day of classes filled with events specifically for first-year students from Aug. 19 to Aug. 23.
Sexual batteries
IUPD Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba said in an email IUPD received a report Aug. 20 from the Title IX Office regarding a student who had been touched inappropriately at an off-campus location. This occurred sometime between May 1 and Sept. 1, 2023.
Skibba said the individuals involved have not reported the incident to IUPD and the case is being investigated by an outside agency.
IUPD received a separate report of sexual battery from the Title IX Office on the same day regarding a student who had been touched inappropriately at Woodlawn Field. Skibba said the individuals involved have not reported the incident to IUPD, and the case has been referred to university officials for review.
Battery
On Aug. 21, IUPD was monitoring an event in the courtyard of Walnut Grove Center when officers were flagged down for medical assistance, Skibba said in an email. Officers reported that a non-IU student fell off a table and was hit in the head by another unknown individual, suffering a severe head injury.
Skibba said the student was transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital for medical evaluation. The investigation is ongoing.
Rape
The IU Health Bloomington Hospital notified IUPD of a rape that occurred Aug. 22, Skibba said in an email. Due to medical privacy laws, details of the case were not reported to IUPD.
According to IUPD’s crime log, one rape and five sexual batteries have been reported on campus since Aug. 19.
From the start of the fall semester until Thanksgiving break — a period known as the Red Zone — students on college campuses are at higher risk for sexual assault.
According to IU’s 2023 Security and Public Safety Report, there were 38 rapes reported on IU Bloomington’s campus and five rapes reported off-campus in 2022. Off-campus cases include incidents that occurred at any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization, buildings owned or controlled by an institution directly supporting IU’s educational purposes and properties frequently used by students not within the geographic area of the institution. Off-campus incidents also include incidents occurring on public property within or immediately adjacent to campus.
In the same year, there were 35 cases of fondling, defined as the non-consensual touching of private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, reported on Bloomington’s campus, with an additional two occurring off-campus.
These numbers are a marked increase from previous years. In 2021, there were a combined 31 cases of rape and 21 cases of fondling on and off-campus. In 2020, there were 25 reports of rape and seven reports of fondling, although on-campus instruction paused mid-March that year due to the pandemic and did not resume until the fall.
Despite these numbers, more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report their assaults, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Resources
Sexual assault on an IU campus can be reported through this online form.
IU’s Confidential Victim Advocates are trained to work with students who have experienced sexual misconduct. They can be contacted by calling 812-856-2469 or emailing cva@indiana.edu. The Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy is on the third floor of the Student Health Center at 600 N. Eagleson Ave.
The IU Sexual Assault Crisis Service operates 24/7 connecting students with counselors. They can be reached at 812-855-8900. Their office is on the fourth floor of the Student Health Center at 600 N. Eagleson Ave.
IUPD’s non-emergency number: 812-855-4111
BPD’s non-emergency number: 812-339-4477
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-7233
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
The Middle Way House works to support survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. They have a help and crisis line at 812-336-0846.
To obtain a protective order after experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, Monroe County has a Protective Order Assistance Partnership.
The Monroe County Victims Assistance Program provides assistance for crime victims in understanding how their case progresses through the justice system.
