On March 10, 2023, staff and peer educators from Rollins Violence Prevention hosted a community support space aimed at addressing recent campus timely notifications.
According to a written statement describing the event, the purpose of the discussion was to allow “students, faculty, and staff to come together as a community to share thoughts and feelings about these notifications” as well as to “ask questions about Rollins policies and learn more about how to get involved in our prevention programs.”
Over the past few months, multiple notifications identifying instances of sexual assault and other alleged crimes have been published by Campus Safety as per the Jeanne Clery Act.
In the Fall of 2022, an original report by The Sandspur addressed earlier instances of criminal activity and fire hazards in the larger context of yearly statistical data. Since that publication, new notifications can help shine a better light on changing trends on campus.
Our initial study indicated that reports of sexual assault, harrassment, fondling, and dating violence were increasing in 2022 after declining from eight to one between 2020 and 2021.
In the final three months following that September investigation, four more reports occurred, bringing the 2022 total up to seven. Regarding the 2023 data, there have been two reports of sexual assault so far this semester. Comparably, during March 2022, there had been none yet since the start of the year.
Additionally, we reported that incidents of rape decreased from six in 2021 to one during January to September of 2022. That statistic stayed the same throughout the rest of that year with no additional notifications. So far this semester, there has been one report of rape.
Sexual offenses are not the only types of crimes that college students can fall victim to, however. Since January 2023, there have been two motor vehicle thefts and one burglary on campus, as well as one physical assault (called “simple” assault). In 2022, there were 21 thefts and burglaries of all kinds, and four simple assaults.
Instances of drug and alcohol violations have also been on the rise since, increasing from six in 2021 to eighteen in 2022. There have been five violations between January and March of 2023.
If you need to make a report, contact the Office of Campus Safety at 407-646-2999 or by e-mail at campussafety@rollins.edu. The Office of Title IX also provides support to survivors of sexual assault, and the Rollins Wellness Center can give referrals to students struggling with substance use. If you are in an emergency, always dial 911.
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