STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For nearly two decades, the number of victims reporting sexual assaults has remained the same at Penn State, according to new Clery Act data from the university.
Between the months of August and December — Penn State’s fall semester — local and off-campus police departments handled nearly 20 sexual assault reports on- and off-campus, StateCollege.com reports. The numbers are consistent with 2011 numbers. In its Clery Act mandated crime statistics, the university notes Penn State Police reported 24 forcible sexual assaults on campus — 10 in dormitories — and six off-campus in 2011.
However, some groups, such as the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, believe that the numbers are inaccurate because many of the victims don’t report their assaults.
The university, which has roughly 40,000 students, has implemented a new protocol to handle sexual assault reports since the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke in late 2011. The school has trained more than 4,000 faculty and staff for compliance with the Clery Act.
