Ohio University’s sexual assault rates are higher than other Ohio schools

Ohio University has more rapes and sexual assaults in general than similar schools in Ohio, according to newly released Clery Act reports surveyed by The New Political.

[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83" style="dropcap1"]O[/dropcap]hio University outpaces similar state universities in both rape and sexual assault rates on campus, according to newly released Clery Act reports.There were 33 reported rapes on campus at Ohio U in 2017, and 9 reported cases of “fondling.” The only other large university in Ohio that had a higher number of rapes was The Ohio State University, with 71 reports. Ohio State’s on-campus student population, however, is almost three times as large as Ohio U’s.Ohio U’s number of sexual assaults is 2.08 per 1,000 students, which is almost 25 percent higher than the school with the next-highest rate of assault, Ohio State University.This trend holds with Ohio U’s rate of rape per 1,000 students, compared to other universities. Ohio U’s rate, 1.63 per 1,000, is over 25 percent higher than the school closest to it, Bowling Green State University.[AdSense-A]To calculate these numbers, The New Political reviewed the 2018 security reports of six comparable public universities in Ohio. These schools are: Ohio State University, Miami University, the University of Cincinnati, Ohio University, Bowling Green State University, and Kent State University. Universities that participate in federal financial aid programs are required under the Clery Act to publish crime statistics and information about campus security. The deadline for this year’s reports was Oct.1. This safety report comes after Ohio U’s campus received national attention for its efforts to combat sexual assault after a series of highly publicized cases of sexual assault on campus.