SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah on Friday released the results of its annual security statistics report and campus climate survey, revealing that rape cases are still prevalent on campus.
According to the statistics, 2024 saw 146 total rape cases, compared to 175 in 2023 and 30 in 2022.
Rebecca Walsh, the university’s communications director, said this number is primarily due to one survivor reporting 110 rapes during the course of a multiple-month relationship “plagued by interpersonal violence.” Both people in the relationship were students and have since graduated, she noted.
Additionally, cases of unwanted fondling — described in the report as touching of the groin, buttocks or breast – have significantly increased on campus from 55 in 2023 to 83 in 2024, including 51 in University of Utah Health hospitals and clinics.
Aggravated assault reports tripled from seven in 2023 to 21 in 2024, with 14 in healthcare settings, the security report shows.
Further, motor vehicle thefts increased fivefold, from seven two years ago to 35 last year. Walsh pointed out that this increase could likely be explained by a recent decision to count e-scooters, e-bikes and e-skateboards as auto theft incidents.
Of the 35 motor vehicle thefts in 2024, 22 involved e-bikes, scooters or skateboards; three were golf carts and seven were thefts from remote locations, which Walsh described as locations included in the Clery boundaries but outside of the main campus — in hospitals and clinics, downtown housing, etc.
The Clery Act is the federal law requiring higher education institutions in the U.S. to gather information about all crimes committed within the main campus boundary, in nearby neighborhoods and on satellite campuses. The U. also includes incidents reported at University of Utah Health hospitals and clinics.
“Our university crime statistics may appear shocking when compared to those at other institutions, but it could be that these high numbers are actually a good thing. By one critical measure, our university is unique,” Walsh said. “Our students are coming forward to ask for help in navigating these experiences, and when one student reports this behavior, it makes it okay for another to do the same. That’s a very good thing.”
Climate Survey results
Friday’s release also came with the release of the U.’s latest campus climate survey. It showed that across almost all demographics, U. students reported lower rates of sexual or gender-based harassment, stalking and sexual violence when compared to national benchmarks.
It also found that students are confident in their ability to step in as bystanders (93%) and their understanding of consent (96%), but also shared higher rates of interpersonal violence (15% since enrollment and 10% within the past year).
“Regularly distributing climate surveys helps us better understand student trends, patterns and needs,” said Rachel Aho, assistant vice president for strategic initiatives in the Office of Student Affairs, in a statement. “This year’s results show that our efforts in preventative education are making a positive impact on campus culture — a kind of progress we’re encouraged to see and eager to keep building on.”
A release from the university clarified that the security report highlights reports of crime on and around campus. To be included in the security report, the victim (a student, faculty, or staff member) has to decide to come forward to a university official and ask for help.
“For this reason, campus safety experts point out that rates of sexual misconduct, as described in the campus climate study, are much different than reports of sexual misconduct highlighted in the (security report),” the release states.
“In fact, most campuses across the country continue to see higher rates, or incidences, of sexual misconduct than reported instances,” said Chris Linder, senior advisor on interpersonal violence to U. President Taylor Randall and former director of the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention, in a statement. “This is because victims of sexual misconduct — including sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner — frequently choose not to report their experiences to any university official. Therefore, when a victim chooses to report their experience with sexual misconduct, it means that they trust someone at the institution enough to share their experience with violence or harm.”
As far as next steps, the university said it plans to:
- Expand prevention and support programs related to intimate partner violence.
- Strengthen graduate student–specific resources.
- Launch a communications campaign to increase awareness of reporting and support pathways.
- Build upon peer network support initiatives.
Aho said the campus climate survey is “an important tool for us as a campus to understand student trends, understand the experiences of harm among our campus students, and then also to see what’s working in terms of our preventative efforts.”
“So we were really encouraged to see this year, the results, especially related to some of our prevention efforts around bystander intervention and consent,” she added.
The university’s full 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and 2024 Sexual Misconduct Climate Survey are available on its public safety website.
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