Despite discrepancies in sexual assault statistics at the University of Maryland, College Park, students still feel generally safe.

The University of Maryland, College Park, like all universities, has a problem with sexual assault. College Park Police, however, report very few in their uniform crime report. The last time College Park Police reported a rape on campus was in 2010, when they reported a single incident. The next most recent rape College Park Police reported was a single incident in 2008. While the police statistics suggest that rape is not a problem on campus, other agencies have reported significantly more incidents.

The student government senate of College Park disagrees with the police statics. The Senate formed a sexual assault task force in 2011 to address the problem of sexual assault. This task force implemented a program to help victims of sexual assault and violence, Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Program, or SARPP. In 2013, a Senate bill was passed extending the program.

The bill to extend SARPP presented statistics that contradicted those of the College Park Police. According to the bill, “13.8 percent of UMD women will be a victim of rape during their time on this campus. Sexual assault is not just a women’s issue: One in seven men will also be sexually assaulted while in college.” The bill goes on to say that in 2011 and 2012, SARPP saw, “76 new clients – including 20 rape victims, 17 sexual assault victims, five gang rape victims, six attempted rape victims, nine relationship violence victims and 12 stalking victims.” SARPP does not share statistics with the College Park Police.

Part of SARPP was an online program for students to education on the issue. The program was similar to that of Alcohol EDU, and the 2013 bill sought to extend this program. The bill was approved by the Senate.

This shows a greater issue, in that sexual assault survivors do not report their attacks to the police. The students at College Park carry an animosity towards the campus police. One student, Alexandria Dunhar, said, “I would never report anything to the police. I don’t feel like they would help, and they would just make my life worse.” Other students expressed concerns about the relationship between the police and the student body. College Park police do not walk around campus and interact with students unless there is an emergency call. Tiara Ettison, a College Park student, said, “you never see them [campus police] on campus. You only see them when shit is going down.” Ettison went on to say that she would feel safer if the police had a more established presence on campus.

The police station on College Park campus is somewhat isolated from the rest of the school. It is located on the other side of Route One next to Fraternity Row. The police station is small, and enters into a narrow hallway with windows on either side showing offices. The offices on the other side of the windows are dark, and visitors must yell to someone at least seven feet away. There are not bathrooms or water fountains in the lobby of the College Park Police station.The College Park Police spokeswoman, Sargent Rosanne Hoaas, refused comment.

While students do not report crimes to the campus police, they do have other places to go. While SARPP no longer exists on campus, it has been replaced with Campus Advocates Respond and Educate, or CARE. “It’s the same program with a new name,” said advocate intern Brendan Carroll. Carroll is a social work graduate student at College Park, and is working on an internship with CARE. The mission of CARE is to, as Carroll says, “help anyone. Victims of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, child abuse. We never turn anyone away.” CARE could not disclose how many clients they see every year, and does not report the statistics to the College Park Police. They want to keep their program as an easy place for students to come in and talk. When asked why more students go to CARE than to the police, Carroll said, “it’s easier to come in here. Police want information that many victims are not willing to give. All we do is provide support.” CARE provides clients with different options for what to do next. They provide information on different means for reporting, or other places to get help. They try to be objective in their suggestions, and leave all decisions up to the client.

CARE currently has six staff members, three of which are interns. “It would be good to be more visible,” said Carroll. “I would like more people to know where we are.” CARE is located through a series of small hallways on the second floor of the University Heath Center. They do advertise their existence, and all new student identification cards have the CARE 24 hour hotline printed on the back. Even with all this, many students still do not know about the program. Several students polled said they were unaware of the program.

While sexual assault is an issue with many students, most students are not worried. More students are worried about muggings, rather than sexual assault. “I feel fine walking alone at night,” said Dunhar, but went on to say, “I’d like to be able to carry a knife for protection.” Most safety concerns are about the area around Route One. Ettison said that she was worried about sexual assault, but not greatly.

Many students feel safer because of the blue light system on campus. The blue lights are a system of direct lines to the police. A College Park student, Kevin Beiter, said “the blue light system is reassuring,” when asked if he felt safe about walking alone at night.