Campus sex assault numbers out

Columbia University’s Morningside Campus leads New York City with 72 forcible sex offenses reported from 2008 to 2012, and another 17 sex offenses were reported at Columbia’s Barnard College across Broadway.

New York State released a searchable database of campus sexual assault numbers on Tuesday to make the numbers more accessible to students. The launch coincided with the adoption by State University and City University campuses of new sexual assault and prevention policies that require students verbally consent to sex, and to offer amnesty to victims who violated school drug and alcohol policies.

Campuscrime.ny.gov lists criminal offenses for public and private campuses across the state as reported to the Department of Education.

NYU’s main campus reported 45 sex offenses in the same period, and Fordham reported 42. The New School reported 16 sex offenses over the four-year period. Five were reported at CUNY City College and FIT, and two at Hunter College. No assaults were reported at CUNY’s Bernard M. Baruch College or at Pace University.

The numbers are “inaccurate” and show a “disconnect” between the reality of campus sexual assault and incidents reported, said Debjani Roy, deputy director of Hollaback!, a group that works to lower sexual violence and harassment against women.

“The numbers are not reflective of the reality of sexual assault on college campuses by any means,” Roy said.

Public Advocate Letitia James, who introduced campus safety legislation in October, said at the time that colleges with 6,000 or more students average one rape per day during the school year.