By: Haley Berley
FAYETTEVILLE — With the prevalence of the #MeToo era, more university students are coming forward to police and campus officials than in years past.
In 2017, there were four rapes reported on the university’s Daily Crime Log. 2018 ended with nine reports, and there are currently seven for 2019 already. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 11% of university students “experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation”.
The university’s Title IX Director states, “If [a] victim files a complaint we will investigate and then make a decision to see if university policy was violated”. Title IX, enacted in 1972, is a federal law that prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating based on a person’s gender.
Campus counselors are available in the Pat Walker Health Center for anyone looking for help or wanting to help others. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides counseling services throughout the year. CAPS staff consists of professional licensed mental health clinicians, as well as some graduate student clinicians. To get involved in the rape education outreach, you can visit www.respect.uark.edu.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the RAINN hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat here 24/7. You can also file a Title IX report here.