The annual college crime and safety report released by Oswego State this month showed campus crime statistics for recent years, with an increase in sexual misconduct on campus during 2018.
The federal Clery Act mandates that academic institutions receiving government funding must prepare and release these annual reports on campus safety statistics. Occurrences of crime and misconduct reported to the college are categorized by type of incident and location, and then compared to statistics from the last three years.
According to an Oswego State report, incidents related to sexual misconduct have risen compared to recent years. Incidents of rape increased to 14 cases in 2018 from nine in 2017 and 14 in 2016, while fondling increased to five reported instances in 2018 from two and one instances, respectively. Dating violence and stalking rose most drastically, compared to the previous two years. Reported cases of dating violence in 2018 increased to 13 cases, more than doubling the other recent statistics of six cases in 2017 and five in 2016. The category most on the rise in sexual misconduct was stalking, with reported cases growing to 17 in 2018 after eight and two cases respectively in the previous two years.
While the reported incidents of sexual misconduct seem to rise, according to Oswego State Title IX coordinator Lisa Evaneski, this may be due to efforts by the college to support victims that come forward rather than an increase in offenses.
“Since 2011, we have been directing efforts and resources toward creating a culture of reporting so that members of our campus community can feel safe reporting incidents, including those reflected in the Clery report,” Evaneski said in an email. “As we increase the type and frequency of prevention programming and training for students and employees, we also understand the direct effect it may have on the number of reported cases.”
The Title IX office is responsible for adhering to federal, state and college anti-discrimination and sexual violence policies. To help facilitate and support a safe campus culture, the Title IX office runs programs and workshops to help students understand the issues and ways to reduce discrimination and sexual violence.
“We encourage our students to become more aware of the programs and resources available to them. We offer a number of workshops throughout the year on consent, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking; safe and positive bystander intervention,” Evaneski said. “We know that if members of our [Oswego State] community trust how we will handle their reports in a supportive, confidential way then they will be more comfortable in seeking us out for services and support.”
Other reported categories, such as substance use, had a relatively steady number of reported incidents in 2018 compared to previous years. Liquor law violations resulting in disciplinary action has decreased to 93 reported cases in 2018 from 105 and 138 in 2017 and 2016. Arrests due to alcohol on campus remained at zero, as it has for all three years in the report.
Notably, annual drug arrests remained relatively steady over the past three years, at 40 in 2018 with 39 and 49 in past years, while drug discipline has increased. Oswego State drug cases resulting in disciplinary action rose to 115 annual cases in 2018, up from 107 in 2017 and 78 in 2016.
According to Oswego State University Police Chief John Rossi, the difference between an arrest and discipline comes down to the situation, as often the violations are minor or dealt with by the college instead of law enforcement.
“We typically charge underage possession of alcohol when there is an underlying issue such as a disturbance or a large party,” Rossi said in an email. “The officers use their discretion and the instances of these types of disturbances have been rarely reported to us. We attribute this to the proactive approach of the Residence Life staff, including the R.A.’s handling these situations before it gets to our level.”
Rossi said that an increase in drug discipline could be due to students misunderstanding the legal status of certain controlled substances, which could explain the increase in disciplinary action given for drug violations.
“With the decriminalization of marijuana, which is mistaken for legalization, we opted to use our Code and Conduct Office instead of the local courts for possession offenses,” Rossi said.
Oswego State compares well with some other SUNY institutions. Plattsburgh State had 181 disciplinary referrals for alcohol in 2018 according to their annual report, when Oswego State had 93. Additionally, Plattsburgh State had 116 cases of disciplinary drug referrals in 2018 compared to 115 in Oswego. Oswego State has a total enrollment of about 8,000 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, while Plattsburgh State has about 5,700 total enrollments.
Students can help keep themselves and the campus safe, according to Rossi, by reporting suspicious activity and using the NY Alert service and Oswego Guardian app on their phones. Rossi credits the safety personnel on campus with helping reduce crime on campus through commitment and dedication to enhancing community safety.
“I cannot say enough about how dedicated all of our employees are, both sworn officers, supervisors, investigators and our civilian staff,” Rossi said.
“They truly care about the well-being of our community and constantly put extra effort in everything that they do.”
Photo by William Rogers | The Oswegonian
