syracuse.com

Rape reports at New York's college campuses rose by 13% between 2016 and 2017, according to NYup.com's review of the annual college campus crime data published by U.S. Department of Education.

But experts say that doesn't necessarily mean that more rapes were being committed on campuses during that time.

"Seeing an increase in reporting suggests that colleges and universities in NYS are more accurately reporting incidents of sexual violence," said Chelsea Miller, Communications Director for the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA).

In 2015, "Enough is Enough" became law in New York. It tasks colleges and universities with improving education, outreach and response to sexual assault.

"We’ve seen reporting numbers shift at many colleges and universities as a result of policy changes, educational programming and outreach, bystander intervention trainings, etc.," says Miller.

There were 503 reported rapes at New York college campuses in 2017, up from 444 in 2016, according to the data. There were also 345 reports of fondling, up from 247 in 2016.

"It would be concerning to see that a campus is reporting that they have had one or zero reports of sexual violence on campus during the reporting period," says Miller. "It’s more likely that sexual violence is happening and it is not getting reported."

Below, find the 45 Upstate New York colleges with the highest numbers of reported rapes in the 2017 reporting period. They are listed from the least amount of rape reports to the most. Reports per 1000 students is used as a tie breaker where applicable.

If you have been sexually assaulted–call the New York State Hotline for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.

1-800-942-6906

Don't Edit

NOTES:

Rape is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as forcible sexual penetration without the victim's consent.

Non-forcible statutory rape, when the victim is under the statutory age of consent, is counted separately.

Fondling is defined as the forcible touching of another person's private body parts for the perpetrator's sexual gratification without the victim's consent. Fondling counts are listed below, but are not factored into the ranking.

Don't Edit

#41 (tie) University at Buffalo, Buffalo (Erie County)

Enrollment: 30,648

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 5

Don't Edit

#41 (tie) Genesee Community College, Batavia (Genessee County)

Enrollment: 5,906

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

#41 (tie) Saint John Fisher College, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment: 3,776

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#41 (tie) Le Moyne College, Syracuse (Onondaga County)

Enrollment: 3,431

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 6

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

#41 (tie) Siena College, Loudonville (Albany County)

Enrollment: 3,226

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 7

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#39 (tie) Colgate University, Hamilton (Madison County)

Enrollment: 2,894

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 1

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

#39 (tie) St. Bonaventure University, Allegany (Cattaraugus County)

Enrollment: 2,084

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 0

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#36 (tie) Keuka College, Keuka Park (Yates County)

Enrollment: 1,953

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 0

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#36 (tie) Robert Wesleyan College, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment:

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 0

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#36 (tie) Hartwick College, Oneonta (Otsego County)

Enrollment: 1,201

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 4

2016:

Rapes: 3

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

#35 Elmira College, Elmira (Chemung County)

Enrollment: 1,012

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 3

Fondling: 0

2016:

Rapes: 5

Fondling: 4

Don't Edit

#34 Northeastern Seminary, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment: 124

2017:

Rapes: 3

Per 1000: 24

Fondling: 0

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#30 (tie) State University of New York College at Brockport, Brockport (Monroe County)

Enrollment:

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#30 (tie) State University of New York at Oneonta, Oneonta (Otsego County)

Enrollment: 6,358

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 3

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

#30 (tie) State University of New York College at Geneseo, Geneseo (Livingston County)

Enrollment: 5,652

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

#30 (tie) Jamestown Community College, Jamestown (Chautauqua County)

Enrollment: 4,463

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#27 (tie) State University of New York College of Technology at Canton, Canton (St. Lawrence County)

Enrollment: 3,180

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 1

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#27 (tie) Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park (Dutchess County)

Enrollment: 3,131

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 6

Fondling: 9

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#27 (tie) Nazareth College, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment: 2,900

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#26 St. Lawrence University, Canton (St. Lawrence County)

Enrollment: 2,493

2017:

Rapes: 4

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 9

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 3

Don't Edit

#23 (tie) State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz (Ulster County)

Enrollment: 7,565

2017:

Rapes: 5

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 11

Fondling: 8

Don't Edit

#23 (tie) Binghamton University, Binghamton (Broome County)

Enrollment: 17,351

2017:

Rapes: 5

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 12

Fondling: 4

Don't Edit

#23 (tie) Monroe Community College, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment: 12,907

2017:

Rapes: 5

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 5

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#22 State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, Cobleskill (Schoharie County)

Enrollment: 2,291

2017:

Rapes: 5

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 6

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 3

Don't Edit

#21 Marist College, Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County)

Enrollment: 6,657

2017:

Rapes: 6

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#18 (tie) State University of New York Buffalo State, Buffalo (Erie County)

Enrollment: 9,516

2017:

Rapes: 7

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 13

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

#18 (tie) University of Rochester, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment: 11,648

2017:

Rapes: 7

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 5

Fondling: 14

Don't Edit

#18 (tie) Onondaga Community College, Syracuse (Onondaga County)

Enrollment: 10,659

2017:

Rapes: 7

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 5

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#17 State University of New York College at Oswego, Oswego (Oswego County)

Enrollment: 8,026

2017:

Rapes: 8

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 14

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

#14 (tie) State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh (Clinton County)

Enrollment: 5,719

2017:

Rapes: 8

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 10

Fondling: 6

Don't Edit

#14 (tie) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy (Rensselaer County)

Enrollment: 7,592

2017:

Rapes: 8

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 3

2016:

Rapes: 5

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#14 (tie) Ithaca College, Ithaca (Tompkins County)

Enrollment: 6,516

2017:

Rapes: 8

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

#13 Union College, Schenectady (Schenectady County)

Enrollment: 2,267

2017:

Rapes: 8

Per 1000: 4

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 4

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#12 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester (Monroe County)

Enrollment:16,584

2017:

Rapes: 10

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 9

Fondling: 5

Don't Edit

#11 State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia (Chautauqua County)

Enrollment: 4,630

2017:

Rapes: 10

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 1

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 1

Don't Edit

#10 State University of New York at Cortland, Cortland (Cortland County)

Enrollment: 6,913

2017:

Rapes: 11

Per 1000: 2

Fondling: 7

2016:

Rapes: 2

Fondling: 3

Don't Edit

#9 Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs (Saratoga County)

Enrollment: 2,684

2017:

Rapes: 11

Per 1000: 4

Fondling: 12

2016:

Rapes: 14

Fondling: 4

Don't Edit

#8 Syracuse University, Syracuse (Onondaga County)

Enrollment: 22,484

2017:

Rapes: 13

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 12

Fondling: 3

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#7 Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva (Ontario County)

Enrollment: 2,244

2017:

Rapes: 13

Per 1000: 6

Fondling: 6

2016:

Rapes: 14

Fondling: 4

Don't Edit

#6 Hamilton College, Clinton (Oneida County)

Enrollment: 1,901

2017:

Rapes: 13

Per 1000: 7

Fondling: 4

2016:

Rapes: 10

Fondling: 5

Don't Edit

#5 Bard College, Red Hook (Dutchess County)

Enrollment: 2,293

2017:

Rapes: 13

Per 1000: 6

Fondling: 16

2016:

Rapes: 5

Fondling: 0

Don't Edit

#4 Vassar College, Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County)

Enrollment: 2,353

2017:

Rapes: 17

Per 1000: 7

Fondling: 5

2016:

Rapes: 12

Fondling: 4

Don't Edit

#3 State University of New York at Albany, Albany (Albany County)

Enrollment: 17,743

2017:

Rapes: 19

Per 1000: 1

Fondling: 16

2016:

Rapes: 27

Fondling: 7

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#2 Cornell University, Ithaca (Tompkins County)

Enrollment: 23,016

2017:

Rapes: 21

Per 1000:

2016:

Rapes: 17

Fondling: 3

Don't Edit

#1 Wells College, Aurora (Cayuga County)

Update: Tuesday, 2:03 p.m.: Wells College did not initially return NYup.com's requests for comment on the unusual year-to-year jump in reported rapes for this school. After publication, a communications representative from Wells called to explain that in the 2017 reporting period, there were only two complainants, but that one of them filed a report with 28 accusations against a single individual. Since each accusation counts as one report, the school had 29 reported rapes. All schools are subjected to the same reporting procedures. The data from the Department of Education does not include a count of individual complainants.

Enrollment: 488

2017:

Rapes: 29

Per 1000: 59

Fondling: 2

2016:

Rapes: 1

Fondling: 2

Don't Edit

READ MORE: 19 safest college campuses in Upstate NY, ranked