This story has been updated to remove graphic details about the victim reported in the probable cause affidavit.
Editor's Note: This story includes mention of sexual violence or assault. Resources are available below.
Two separate rapes were reported during the first two weeks of September in Forest Quad and Wilkie Quad.
An IU student reported being raped at Forest Quad on Sept. 2.
IU Police Department Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba said in a statement that officers met with the underage student Sept. 3, who reported that two males allegedly provided her with alcohol prior to the assault.
Skibba said the student does not wish to pursue criminal charges.
On Sept. 10, IUPD received a report of rape that occurred between 9:00p.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Sept. 7 at Wilkie Quad and met with a female student.
The female also sent officers multiple pictures of her injuries. Officers located the alleged perpetrator, Gregory Gabler, at one of his classes on Sept. 10 and was brought to IUPD for questioning. Gabler refused to answer questions according to the affidavit.
Skibba said in an email that Gabler was arrested with the following charges - rape, criminal confinement, sexual battery, and battery with injury and transported to Monroe County Jail. Gabler has been issued a trespass warning for all IU property.
The period from the start of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break, called the Red Zone, is when students, especially freshmen, are at a higher risk for sexual assaults. More than 50% of sexual assaults are statistically found to occur during this time. Two rape and five sexual batteries have been reported on campus since Aug. 19.
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. Non-campus cases include incidents that occur 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 or 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 IUB’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.
CLARIFICATION: This article was updated to include the correct phrasing for “non-campus cases."
