ASSAULT SEXUAL AT CWU

Between 2019 and 2021, there were 27 reported sexual offenses on the CWU campus, according to the CWU Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Of the sexual offense/assault reports, 14 were cases of rape and 13 were cases of fondling. These numbers vary each year. “Obviously, 2020 was down because we didn’t have anybody on campus,” Campus Police Chief Berthon-Koch says.

The CWU Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is only covering crimes that happen on campus grounds, so the 27 reports of sexual assaults are specifically on campus. According to The Seattle Times, CWU investigated 186 cases of sexual misconduct between 2016 and 2021, more than any of the other five Washington public universities included in their investigation, with EWU having the second most at 99.

“The number of reports does not indicate the prevalence of sexual misconduct at the colleges, and is influenced by factors such as population size and students’ trust in their schools to respond,” The Seattle Times article explains.

CWU is tied with Evergreen for the least amount of expulsions: CWU had no expulsions and the lowest amount of perpetrator repercussions, 11, out of 55 reports with findings. All other public universities in Washington have more counts of perpetrator consequences.

The Ellensburg office of Aspen, an organization that provides services and assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes, saw 61 sexual assault survivors in 2018 and 46 in 2019, according to Victims Services Advocate Kelly Boozer. Anyone that reports their sexual assault in Ellensburg is referred to Aspen.

Type of Crime

Underreporting

According to Title IX Coordinator Pedersen, “Sexual assault is an issue on a college campus, it is also the most underreported things across the nation, and I would assume it is the same at Central. It is a problem in a community, it is a problem on a campus, it is something that we unfortunately deal with all over.”

According to Berthon-Koch, both men and women survivors underreport their sexual assaults. Berthon-Koch says he hopes with changes in society’s outlook on mental health and having these hard conversations, that more people will become more comfortable reporting.

“I’m hoping that as we evolve and we become more comfortable with talking about mental health issues with people, with our society, of recognizing and talking about it and seeking assistance for help,” says Berthon-Koch. “I’m hoping that also comes over to the area of sexual assault and reporting.”

Reporting sexual assault “is holding the person accountable, yes,” Berthon-Koch says, “But it’s also making sure that that person [the survivor] has the resources that they need to have in, like I said, the worst event of their life.”

Women who are college-age students don’t report their sexual assault, or abuse, 80% of the time, according to RAINN.

Why aren’t survivors reporting? There are many reasons. First, sexual assault can often be the most traumatizing experience someone can endure, Aspen’s Boozer, Cats Against Assault members and Berthon-Koch all agree. To report sexual assault, as the victim, is to agree to retell your trauma countless times with no promise of justice.

“Let’s look at the big picture,” Boozer says. “They contact law enforcement, maybe. Or, maybe they went to the hospital. They tell their story then, so we’ve got one. And then they have to tell their story to, maybe if it’s going through the legal system, just including service members, a low number would probably be like 10 times.”

Two Cats members tell PULSE that reporting, to them, can be “more dangerous” than not reporting because it can be very traumatic. “It’s the most dangerous thing you can do because it’s like, for victim safety, it is extremely retraumatizing to go through the process.”

As a Victim Services Advocate, Boozer adds that she has only ever seen a sexual assault case go to trial once throughout her seven years of being at Aspen. According to RAINN, for every 1,000 sexual assaults in the United States, only 25 violators of consent will be held accountable, according to RAINN.

Reporting At Cwu

Pedersen says: “We take every complaint or disclosure serious, and I would encourage anyone who has experienced interpersonal violence, sexual violence, sexual harassment, or anything else on campus to report and to contact our office, even if they just want more information about the process.”

The reporting process at CWU can be done in numerous ways. A student can report their sexual assault to the Wellness Center, Campus Police, Title IX, the Ellensburg Police Department, the hospital, Aspen and/or any staff member of CWU. Ultimately, all reports on campus will go through the Title IX office.

There is always the option of reporting anonymously, and coming forward later. The police also provide an array of options in print for all survivors.

Campus Police Chief Berthon-Koch says: “We take these situations very serious, and we want to do what we possibly can to support the survivor of a sexual assault, and/or sexual abuse, and/or domestic violence, and/or domestic abuse, and/ or anything. Victims of crime, we want to support them the best we can.”

If a survivor chooses to report their sexual assault and file a formal complaint, there will be an investigation. The investigative processes are different depending on where the assault took place and the resources a survivor has, needs and/ or chooses.

The investigative process starts with either civil rights investigators from the Title IX office on campus, or investigators from the police department (both on and off campus). Once the investigators compile all of the evidence, and draft their report, the draft is shared with the complainant and the respondent for potential feedback on the report.

Once the report is finalized, it is handed off to the prosecutor on the case, who determines whether the case has enough probable cause to go to trial.