48 Mass. Colleges Had At Least One Rape Reported, New Data Shows

By Tom Davis and Mike Carraggi, Patch Staff

Two Massachusetts colleges have among the highest number of rape reports in the U.S., according to recent data, and forty-eight schools in the state had at least one instance of reported rape.

Harvard University and Boston College had among the 20 highest number of rape reports of any college in the U.S. in 2014, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education published in a report by The Washington Post.

Nearly 100 colleges and universities had at least 10 reports of rape on their main campuses in 2014, according to U.S. Department of Education data. Harvard was sixth highest on the list with 33 reports and Boston College was 13th on the list with 22. Williams College had the fifth most reports per 1,000 at 8.9.

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Many campus advocacy groups believe these numbers could reflect a higher percentage of victims reporting -- not necessarily a higher number of assaults taking place. Rather, it comes closer to reflecting the reality evident in a commonly cited statistic: that one in five women will be the victim of sexual assault while in college.

The recently released data comes days after a recall effort was launched against a California judge in a Stanford University sexual assault case where the defendant's mere six-month jail term has drawn outrage. Additionally, Baylor University's chancellor resigned last week after controversy arose over his handling of sexual assault complaints against football players.

On the local level, a lawsuit against Worcester Polytechnic Institute is gathering public attention, as the school counters a rape victim's claims by alleging the student was drunk at the time of her assault - and therefore partially at fault.

Because rape is a crime that often goes unreported, the data may underscore an uptick in the number of students coming forward to report rape, rather than an increase in the number of assaults committed.

It also could indicate what others have feared: A growing trend of violence on college campuses and at high schools. The FBI's most recent Uniform Crime report notes the number of students who have been threatened or injured with a weapon has increased sharply since 1993.

For those universities taking steps to address campus sexual assault, it will be telling to compare the 2014 data with future reports. Harvard, for one, has actively taken steps this year to improve its campus culture, including controversial sanctions on members of single-gender clubs affiliated with the university.

Here are the Massachusetts colleges and their number of reported rapes in 2014:

• Harvard University (33)
• Boston College (22)
• Williams College (19)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (14)
• Tufts University; Northeastern University (12)
• UMass Dartmouth (11)
• UMass Amherst (10)
• Brandeis University; Westfield State (9)
• Hampshire College (8)
• Stonehill College; Assumption College; Babson College; Emerson College; Bentley University; Salem State University (7)
• Wellesley College (6)
• Wheaton College; College of the Holy Cross; Merrimack College; Boston University (5)
• Nichols College; Lasell College; Framingham State University; Worcester State University; Bridgewater State University; UMass Lowell (4)
• Smith College; Springfield College; Simmons College (3)
• Wheelock College; Mount Ida College; Gordon College; Emmanuel College; Mount Holyoke College; Western New England University (2)
• Dean College; Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Regis College; American International College; Clark University; Curry College; Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Berklee College of Music; Endicott College; UMass Boston; Fitchburg State University (1).

Here are the 20 schools with the most reported rape cases nationwide:

1. Brown University 43
2. University of Connecticut 43
3. Dartmouth College 42
4. Wesleyan University 37
5. University of Virginia 35
6. Harvard University 33
7. University of North Carolina at Charlotte 32
8. Rutgers University-New Brunswick 32
9. University of Vermont 27
10. Stanford University 26
11. Emory University 25
12. George Washington University 23
13. Boston College 22
14. University of Pittsburgh 20
15. Ohio State University 20
16. Williams College 19
17. University of New Hampshire 19
18. Ohio University 19
19. Reed College 18
20. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 18

You can find the whole list at the Washington Post, which first published the data.

Image Credit: Wikimedia, Jacob Rus