Vanderbilt UniversityWhile overall reported crimes on Tennessee college campuses fell in 2014, the number of reported sexual offenses skyrocketed, according to annual data released today by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The report showed the number of reported rapes on Tennessee college campuses increased from increased from 26 in 2013 to 46 in 2014. Overall crime fell 6.3 percent.
Cara Tuttle Bell, director of Vanderbilt University's Project Safe Center for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, which was established as a standalone resource center for sexual assault victims last summer, says the reported increase in sexual assaults doesn't necessarily mean a change on campuses. It could signify a cultural shift on campuses, where victims are encouraged to come forward.
"I don't think we have reason to believe the number of incidents is going up. Unfortunately the number of incidents has just long been too high," Tuttle Bell said. "We believe that this means people feel more comfortable saying, 'This is wrong, this should not have happened to me, it's not my fault.'"
Vanderbilt reported an increase from 16 to 22 sexual assaults in 2014, while University of the South in Sewanee saw a leap from zero to eight. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville saw an increase from four to six, and Southern Adventist University and Lee University each reported one assault.
Meanwhile, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga reported zero sexual assaults in 2014, down from one in 2013, and Chattanooga State College also reported no sexual assaults.