2nd Sexual Assault At UT-Austin In 2 Weeks: Police

AUSTIN, TX — Police received a report of non-stranger sexual assault involving a University of Texas at Austin student early Saturday, campus officials confirmed.

UT campus police received the report at 1 a.m. in alerting to the incident at the Jester dormitory, law enforcement officials wrote in a press advisory. An investigation into the incident continues, police said.

"The most common type of sexual assault is perpetrated by someone the victim knows, not by a stranger," campus police wrote. "Consent is enthusiastic agreement required by all and can be revoked at any time. Sexual activity requires consciousness and clarity. Don't feel obligated to do anything you don't want to do." Saying "I don't want to" is always a good enough reason to decline sexual contact, officials added.

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No further details on the incident were released.

It's the second time in two weeks that a sexual assault has been reported involving a UT-Austin student. In the early morning of Sunday, Nov. 24, UT police confirmed they were investigating a report of a sexual assault said to have occurred at a student housing complex. The 2 a.m. incident occurred at 2500 Pearl St. in a non-campus property, according to a UT Austin policereport. The site is not far from the university campus, near North Lamar Boulevards in West Campus.

After the latest incident, campus police took the opportunity to provide links to resources for those tho may be victimized on or off campus:

• Student Emergency Services supports students who have been or know someone who has been a victim of a crime on or off campus. To access the resource, click here.
• The Victims Advocate Network supports UT employees, students and visitors who have been the victim of a crime. For more information click on the following link: https://police.utexas.edu/services/victims-advocate-network.

The notification of the incident this morning was provided in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (20 USC, 1092(f)). The Clery Act is a federal statute requiring colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information.

The incident comes one day after UT-Austin students staged demonstrations protesting the school's decision to allow two professor to return to teaching despite being punished for sexual misconduct policy violations. As the student-run campus newspaper, The Daily Texan, reported, student protesters took to the steps of the centerpiece campus tower on Friday carrying banners emblazoned with the words "UT Protects Abusers" in the fourth protest against faculty sexual misconduct to be staged this semester alone.

The protests are an offshoot of the newly formed Coalition Against Sexual Misconduct. "No time for Title IX, we will keep these creeps in line!" about a dozen students changed while holding signs reading “#TexasFightAbusers.”

One student protester told the newspaper the group is demanding the university release a report with the names, courses and actions of professors violating sexual misconduct policies. The group also wants university officials to provide its protocol guidelines in determining the process allowing violators to continue teaching on campus.

In October, A professor at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin was ousted amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. Officials at the music school confirmed composition professor Dan Welcher would not be returning to the university following allegations of misconduct, as the The Daily Texan reported.

The allegations against Welcher first surfaced in a VAN Magazine article, detailing accounts from several students of frequent inappropriate sexual comments and at occasional "uncomfortably affectionate" written and verbal communications, according to the article. Inspired by the "me too" movement involving victims coming forward against violators, one student told the magazine how Welcher allegedly grabbed his face and kissed him on the mouth after a meeting.