Reported Rapes at Gallaudet University Goes Up! Again.

Absolutely incredible. I went back to the The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis provided by the U.S. Department of Education on the number of forcible sex offenses (i.e. rape) reported on the campus of Gallaudet University and found that the number of reported rape for 2011 has gone up significantly!

Compared to last year (2010) and  all the years before that starting in 1991 that I covered in previous blogs the 2011 reported number of forcible rape ( forcible sex offense) is an all time high when compared to all of the reported rapes beginning in 1991.

2011 - 14
2010 - 9 (now changed to 11 in this 2011 report see below why the upward change)
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

What we need to know is why has the number of reported rapes has gone up. Was it due to more rape victims willing to step forward and report the incident or that simply the situation has exacerbated seeing more rapes for some reason?   What was interesting was to see a correction that was done for year 2010 and the reason why seen in the caveat box in the screen capture above:

For year 2010 line "c" was changed from "9" to "11" because the University re-interpreted the law for on campus property and was advised by the help desk to merge statistics for our Clerc Center campus with the University statistics.

The University re-interpreted the law for on campus property regarding rape? Interesting if not disturbing. Rape is rape, no?

Just to point this out the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis does not provide information on prosecutions for rape charges. All we see are the reported forcible sex offenses which is a watered down euphemism for "rape."

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 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. Since the 2011 data are now available when it wasn't at the time when I did my blog piece on the subject earlier this year in July I wouldn't be surprised now if the ranking on the number of reported rape for 2011, 2010 and 2009 would still be in the top 5 if not in the top three with recent upward changes on the number of reported rape on campus.

With the inclusion of the latest 2011 reported statistics on the number of forcible sex offenses (i.e. rape) on the campus of Gallaudet University has gone up. The 2011 reported number is now the highest ever reported since the 1991/1992 school year according to publicly available information. Why has the number of reported rape continues to go up? Why more rape victims? Could it be that more students 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)).

The stigma for reporting their own rape needs to go away. I've reported on this continuing problem in several of my blogs over the years and had commenters attack me for reporting this continuing problem in a blog as seen in some of the 45 comments in a blog I did in 2011 on the same subject.

Anonymous said...

can't you just like stop rambling on about Gallaudet? You make me sick. You are not concern about rape.Please leave it to the people who are victim, they don't need you to use them to ripe Gally.

Anonymous said...

I've seen you post many things about Gally, I ignored it, but when you post about rape, it just make me sick that you just had to go there.

Don't make it harder for them.

Absolutely surreal that these anonymous commenters would rather not step up and support the victims and see the problem for what it is.  Those attitudes sound more like a fraternity or "deafhood" type of mentality bent on protecting an image through oppressive tactics rather than lend their full support for the victims and confront the problems head on.

Solutions are needed here. Locking the Gallaudet University bathrooms at the Student Academic Center at night because students were getting raped in there isn't a solution to the problem. If that's how Gallaudet University treats the problem then this is a bigger problem than we thought. How about establishing a year round tuition free self-defense martial arts classes on campus available to anyone on campus and learn how to protect themselves in a potential rape scenario? Volunteer student security patrols? Inform students at freshman orientation to not rape and that violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. What could the possible solutions be to this campus-wide problem?

Students need not to be afraid to report their rape incidents. There should be unconditional support of rape victims rather than to try and protect the institution's image at all costs and to some extent protect the rapists even more so. This sort of thing should not be kept hidden away from the public eye and such forcible sex offenses data should clearly be displayed on Gallaudet University's webpage and easily found. Sadly, this is not the case. Even more sad is when students get raped not knowing the serious problem of rapes on campus.

Here's sobering historical look of how many students reported 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 this still true today, almost 20 years later, the hidden number of students raped still go unreported?  Has the problem actually gotten worst now at Gallaudet University with the 2011 data 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. They need to have access to that information readily on Gallaudet University's website for prospective students and concerned parents.

Easier said than done but students should not be afraid to report these rape incidents. And should not fear going to Gallaudet University, either. Each student on campus needs to be approached and be duly informed on a regular basis about rape on campus and what they can do about it and what the university can do to protect students from becoming rape victims and be on their side and prosecute the rapists even more so. No one should suffer and be a victim of rape.

One rape is one rape too many.

Get the word out.

To the Gallaudet University students, you have the power to change this.