Special Report: Investigation Into Sexual Assault At USC
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(Graphic by Didi Beck)
Recent reports reveal that the University of Southern California (USC) failed to report 11 sexual assault cases in 2010 and 2011, bringing the total number of cases for those years up to 39.
The disclosures could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for the school under the federal Clery Act, the 1990 law that requires schools to report campus crime statistics to the Department of Education. The university is also for possibly violating Title IX, a federal anti-discrimination law that requires colleges to impartially investigate sexual assaults.
Underreporting sexual assault is a national issue. Investigations are now underway at Swarthmore, Emory, Occidental, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dartmouth, Yale and UC Berkeley.
National statistics show 70 percent of sexual assault victims are under 25 and one in four sexual assaults occurs on college campuses, but fewer than half of victims ever report it to authorities, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
Reports show that alcohol, involved in 90 percent of all rapes on college campuses, is also a factor, especially in the first semester when many college sexual assaults occur.
Neon Tommy has been covering USC's reported mishandling of sexual assault since last Spring, incorporating multiple angles and interviewing victims and other sources. Check out our ongoing coverage:
- Sexual Assault Incident Reporting Procedure Remains Unchanged
- A Timeline Of Sexual Assault At USC
- 'There Was No Intention To Deceive' Says DPS In Response To Underreporting Sexual Assaults
- USC, Occidental College Admit Underreported Sexual Assaults
- Underreported Sexual Assault Statistics A Problem, Students Say
- College Rape Culture: The Other Side Of The Story
- USC Clery Blunder Another Chance To Address Student Rape
- USC Rape Webpage Limits Attacker Accountability
- USC Students Condemn University's Handling Of Sexual Assault
- Sexual Assault Should Be Taken More Seriously
- INFOGRAPHIC: What Is Sexual Assualt Procedure At USC?
