Bridgewater’s decision to keep quiet about the alleged crimes highlights the differing approaches by colleges in deciding whether to publicize sexual assaults. While colleges make such decisions on a case-by-case basis, some lean toward full disclosure, while others are more selective about disseminating such information to students, faculty, and employees.

In each of the alleged rapes, one Sept. 3 and the other Sept. 20, suspects were arrested within a few hours, said Bryan Baldwin, spokesman for the university. Baldwin said the campus was not notified because there was no threat to public safety, but he added that administrators are reviewing whether they made the right call.

Administrators at Bridgewater State University are under fire from students for not alerting the campus community about two alleged rapes that occurred there in September.


The federal Clery Act requires colleges to issue timely warnings about crimes such as sexual assaults that present a serious continuing threat to students and employees, said S. Daniel Carter, director of the 32 National Campus Safety Initiative, a program dedicated to improving campus safety. Under the law, the precise period for “timely” is not given, and it is up to schools to decide what constitutes an immediate threat.

“The standard that the [US] Department of Education applies is a reasonableness standard,” Carter said. “Institutions . . . have wide latitude. But they must have a reasonable, defensible explanation for why they did not issue the warning.”

At Bridgewater, students launched an online petition, protesting the school’s handling of the assaults. Many spoke of feeling confused and afraid.

“Everyone I know who’s [learned about the situation] is outraged,” said Kayla Lemay, 21, a senior and editor in chief at the school’s independent student newspaper, The Comment. Students are uncomfortable, and some do not feel safe, Lemay said. “I think most students feel out of the loop.”


Sophomore Jessie Scott, herself a sexual assault survivor, said that the university’s decision not to release the information made her feel as if the issue of assault was being minimized.

“I think everybody doesn’t trust the university right now, in the sense of, ‘What else are they not telling us?’ ” she said. “Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, the university should still keep us informed.”

While senior Michael Montiel wishes students had been informed, he said he understands why administrators chose not to do so.

“I guess they just didn’t want to cause any stir and make everyone panic,” Montiel said.

Baldwin said that in each of the alleged rapes, the suspect and victim knew each other, so apprehending the suspects did not take long. Each assault occurred late at night, he said, and suspects were arrested “before or shortly after midnight.”

The university did send a safety alert to students after a sexual assault occurred on campus Sept. 18. There has been no arrest, so students were warned, Baldwin said.

On Wednesday evening, Bridgewater’s president, Dana Mohler-Faria, said in a message to the community that the university does not tolerate misconduct, violence, or abuse.

“In the future, we will look to go beyond what is legally required if we determine it is in the best interest of our community,” Mohler-Faria said. “Additional changes, procedures, and practices need to be considered and will involve active dialogue with the campus community.”

At Framingham State University, after four students were suspended in two alleged sexual assaults over the weekend, officials alerted the community.


“I think you could make the case that that goes beyond the requirements of the Clery Act,” said spokesman Dan Magazu, who, like the representatives of other colleges interviewed Wednesday, declined to comment directly on the situation at Bridgewater. “In this case, there was no ongoing threat, but we decided to notify the campus, anyway. It’s the beginning of the semester, and we wanted to remind people to be vigilant.”

At Massasoit Community College in Brockton, where two sexual assaults were reported last month, spokeswoman Laurie Maker said the college errs on the side of transparency, even in cases when suspects are caught right away. She could not think of a scenario in which the college would not send out an alert.

“I think the benefit is trust and a sense of community,” Maker said. “We do it because we believe it’s the right thing to do.”

At Stonehill College, Police Chief Peter Carnes said authorities always issue a warning when a suspect is at large, as they did early Sunday when a student reported being sexually assaulted near MacPhaidin Library. But when the alleged assailant is immediately arrested or removed from campus, he said, the college might refrain from making a direct statement and send information about resources for assault victims.

“A college or university has to take this seriously,” Carnes said. “We want to protect our victims, and we want to protect our students.”


Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com. Kiera Blessing can be reached at kiera.blessing@globe.com. Trisha Thadani can be reached at trisha.thadani@globe.com.