Reported rapes at Gallaudet University continue to rise

Shocking to see the latest 2010 statistics on the number of incidents of forcible sex offenses or rape reported at Gallaudet University has more than doubled than what was reported for the 2008 year.   The 2010 year was a record high since 1999 based on continuous record keeping (minus 2005 due to lack of data). The statistics on reported criminal offenses can be found here using the U.S. Department of Education's "The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool" by typing in the name of the institution to get the reported figures.

The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis does not provide information on prosecutions for rape charges.

Last year in 2011 I investigated rape statistics at Gallaudet University up to year 2009 by crunching some numbers and included data as far back during the 1991 and 1992 school year as reported in my 2006 blog piece "Deaf Residential Schools and Other Dirty Little Secrets - Part II of III." Last year I found out what the true ranking of Gallaudet University on the number of reported rape for 2007, 2008 and 2009 in comparison to 291 other colleges and universities of similar student population size that have campus dorms and are 4 year institutions showed that the university was in the top 5 on number of rape reported. The 2011 data are not available at this time but will report it once it becomes available.

2010 - 9
2009 - 6
2008 - 4
2007 - 6
2006 - 5
2005 - n/a
2004 - 2
2003 - 7
2002 - 3
2001 - 5
2000 - 3
1999 - 2
1991/1992 - 1

As you can see with the inclusion of the latest 2010 reported statistics on the number of forcible sex or rape on the campus of Gallaudet University has gone up. The 2010 reported number is the highest since the 1991/1992 school year according to publicly available information. Why has the number of reported forcible sex or rape continue to go up? Why more rape victims? Could it be that more are recognizing the importance of stepping forward to report a crime rather than to keep silent because of stigma and fear according to Donna Ryan?

According to Donna Ryan, a history professor at Gallaudet, the insularity of the deaf culture has made it hard for Gallaudet women in particular to come forward to tell their stories. "Part of the difficulty for deaf women in dealing with women's issues like rape involves a fear of trashing the deaf community," she says. In many cases, the women are afraid of being put down by their fellow students for bringing shame upon the university. "The deaf community is small and close-knit," says Denise Snyder, executive director of D.C. Rape Crisis Center. "If you make a fuss at Gallaudet, you've closed a big door."(Silent Screams: a People Weekly report on sexual assault at the nation’s only university for deaf students. People Weekly, June 20, 1994, v41 n23 p36(6)).

That stigma need to be done away with so students would not have to fear reporting rape incidents. Gallaudet University needs to be more open and transparent on this campus rape issue while at the same time get aggressive in tackling this serious problem. This sort of thing should not be kept hidden away from the public eye.

Here's sobering historical look of how many students did report their rapes back in the early 1990s. Click on this link and read what victims at Gallaudet University back in 1994 had to say. Is it still true today, almost 20 years later, that a hidden number of students raped still go unreported?  Has the problem actually gotten worst now at Gallaudet University with 2010 being the worst since 1991? Or is this a sign that more students are finally stepping forward to report their rapes and is a product of better information given to students at Gallaudet University about rape and what to do about rape? Regardless, let's see a better, much improved campus environment and security, and that students and parents are better informed about rape statistics on campus. Students should not be afraid to report these incidents. And should not fear going to Gallaudet University. Each student on campus need to be approached and be duly informed on a regular basis about rape on campus and what they can do about it. No one should suffer and be a victim of rape. One rape is one rape too many. Get the word out.


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I reserve the right to caution readers that not all data are completely or necessarily 100% accurate. This is the best available public  information that I've come across with the info given by the U.S Department of Education.

And a final caveat on reported offenses as seen in The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis page where I have gotten my numbers:

The crime statistics found on this website represent alleged criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities and/or local law enforcement agencies. Therefore, the data collected do not necessarily reflect prosecutions or convictions for crimes. Because some statistics are provided by non-police authorities, the data are not directly comparable to data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting System which only collects statistics from police authorities.