Hello Buffs,
This week our campus community was made aware of a report of a sexual assault in a campus residence hall. We know that some of you may be feeling anxious or concerned, and we want to make sure you are aware of support resources and safety information on campus. We encourage you all to look out for each other, and to connect with resources as you need them.
CU Boulder takes sexual assault and other sexual misconduct seriously. We want to assure you that campus safety is a top priority.听
Campus safety measures听
The CU Boulder Police Department (CUPD) regularly patrols campus by car, bike and foot. In response to the reported incident, CUPD has increased patrols around campus, including in the Williams Village residential neighborhood.听
For those of you living on campus, know that the residence halls have various security measures in place to help keep you safe. This includes electronic key access, security cameras outside of residence halls, locks on doors and a daily staffed Community Center front desk, as well as RAs and professional staff on-call 24 hours, seven days a week. You can contact those on-call staff members by calling your residence hall鈥檚 front desk.
CUPD is still investigating and continues to follow up on information detectives have received from the public. Anyone with information that could help this investigation should call the lead detective at (303) 492-4469.
Support
Impact for people can vary following an incident like this. As Buffs, you have resources available to help. Here are a few for you to connect with:
- The Office of Victim Assistance (OVA) provides free, confidential trauma-focused counseling, advocacy and support to individuals who have experienced a potentially traumatic or life disruptive event. They are also a resource for witnesses and secondary survivors.
- If you鈥檙e living on campus, you can reach out to your Resident Advisor (RA), Hall Director (HD) or any of the Residence Life leadership team to talk and get help connecting to resources on campus.听
- Bookmark CU Boulder鈥檚 Don鈥檛 Ignore It page for reporting options, how to support a survivor and tips on being an effective bystander.
Looking out for each other
As Buffs, we have the opportunity to look out for our friends, speak up about sketchy behaviors and situations and take steps to create a safer community. Here are some ways that you can help prevent sexual assault on and off campus.
- Learn to identify high-risk situations. You may notice behaviors that seem "off." Keep an eye out for people who hit on the drunkest person at a party, encourage others to drink, try to get a drunk person alone or away from their friends, are persistent about pursuing someone sexually or commit low-level boundary violations. These behaviors can indicate that someone may be trying to take advantage of someone.
- Be an effective bystander. If you see someone in a potentially harmful or high-risk situation, you can do something to intervene. Check out the ways you can help someone by being an effective bystander.
- Keep track of friends at parties. It鈥檚 common for perpetrators of sexual assault to encourage alcohol consumption or target those who are intoxicated. It鈥檚 important to check in with a friend if you observe any sudden changes (e.g. difficulty standing, disorientation, etc.) that might indicate they鈥檝e had too much to drink.
- Don鈥檛 leave friends behind. Commit to not ditching someone if they have too much to drink and/or become unwilling to stick with your plan to stay together when you go out. This decreases the likelihood that someone will have to rely on less familiar friends or strangers to get home, which can create risk for something bad happening.
- Avoid letting people into residence halls. While it may feel impolite to not hold the door open for someone you don鈥檛 know, this can help prevent unauthorized people from entering residence hall spaces. Instead, let them know you鈥檇 be more comfortable if they let themselves into the building. Be sure not to prop exterior doors open as you are entering and exiting your hall.听
Reporting
There are several offices that may be involved when the university does receive a report of sexual misconduct, including the Office of Insitutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), OVA and CUPD.
If a victim or survivor chooses to report sexual misconduct as a possible violation of university policy, whether or not they choose to report to law enforcement, OIEC will conduct an initial inquiry, which includes working to provide support and safety measures, such as changes to academic, living, transportation and working situations. OIEC will also provide information on all university resolution options including the right to participate in a formal investigation process under the university鈥檚 Sexual Misconduct, Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking Policy. Student misconduct cases are separate from the criminal process. Reports can be made to CUPD at any time, though investigators recommend reporting as soon as you are comfortable doing so.
We understand there are many reasons someone may choose not to report a sexual assault. Every person reacts to crimes and trauma differently. Campus resources, like OVA, are still available if someone chooses not to report.
While we cannot discuss the specifics of this week鈥檚 incident due to privacy laws and an ongoing CUPD investigation, our community should know that we take allegations of sexual assault seriously, and those found responsible are held accountable.听
Thank you,
JB Banks
Acting Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Llen Pomeroy
Associate Vice Chancellor and Title IX Coordinator
Doreen Jokerst
CU Boulder Police Chief