Campus sexual assault

Campus sexual assault is defined as the sexual assault of a student attending an institution of higher learning, such as a college or university.

Despite the name, less than 40% of reported incidents occur on campus property, although some occur on properties of fraternities active at the schools. The U.S. Department of Education guidelines define rape as "The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim", and defines sexual assault as "Any sexual act directed against another person, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent."

Sexual assault for higher education students occurs more frequently against women, but any gender can be victimized. All ethnicities and social classes are affected. While the rate of violent crime against higher education students aged 18–24 in the United States declined significantly from 1995 to 2002, the rates of rape and other sexual assault largely remained the same. Estimates of rapes occurring today vary based on different approaches to the study. A study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that 6.1 incidents of sexual assault per 1000 female students (0.61% or roughly 1 in 170 women) occur annually in the US, while other studies have estimated that roughly 19–27% of college women and 6–8% of college men are sexually assaulted during their time in college. A 2006 large-scale study, including students at both two- and four-year colleges, found 35 rapes per 1,000 female students over seven months (rape was defined as "unwanted completed penetration by force or threat of force"). Based on this study, a college with 10,000 women students could experience 350 rapes a year. This conflicts with official college data. In 1999, reported forcible and nonforcible sexual offenses totaled 2,469 incidents for all U.S. college campuses combined.

In response to charges that schools have poorly supported women who have complained of sexual assault, in 2011 Office for Civil Rights under the Obama administration used an interpretation of Title IX to issue "guidance" to universities. The so-called "Dear Colleague" letter advised academic institutions that they must make changes to how they handle sexual assault allegations, including lowering the standard of proof, setting time limits on a response to allegations, and limiting the accused's rights to cross-examine the complainant. The OCR guidance also included the threat to withdraw federal funding to schools that do not comply. Legal experts have raised concerns about risks of abuses against the accused. Following changes to disciplinary processes, dozens of lawsuits against universities have been filed by men alleging bias and/or violations of their rights.

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