- The University of Utah releases its annual public safety reports.
- Reports of sexual assaults and harassment highlight the reports, climate survey.
- School leaders say evolving campus is building "a culture of consent" to better prevent sexual harassment.
Friday’s notification across the University of Utah community of updated public safety reports was an early-morning reminder that keeping students safe is a daily challenge and priority at the state’s flagship higher education institution.
Each year, the school publishes and distributes its Annual Security & Fire Safety reports, in compliance with federal and state law.
The reports include campus crime and fire statistics for the past three years — while providing information about safety and security-related services offered by the university.
For the second year in a row, there’s an increase in reports of sexual assault at the University of Utah compared to previous years’ numbers.
There were 146 reported rape cases in 2024, compared to 175 in 2023. By comparison, there were only 30 rape cases in 2022.
Of note, one student reported 110 rapes during the course of a multiple-month relationship with another student, according to the university. Each reported rape is counted as an individual incident. Both people in the relationship were students — and both have graduated.
In the multiple-incident rape case, the victim “did not wish to have prosecution,” said Todd Justesen, the school’s associate director of Clery Programs & Compliance, in a briefing with reporters on Thursday.
“They did not wish to take it outside of reporting and having levels of support provided to them. They were looking more for resources than they were looking for prosecution.”
Chris Linder, a school professor and the University of Utah’s senior advisor on interpersonal violence prevention to the university president, said many sexual assault survivors do not report to any system for a variety of reasons.
“Either they’re minimizing their experience, they don’t think the systems will help them or they don’t know where to go — a whole host of things could be happening,” said Linder.
“So when we see numbers of reports going up, that actually could be a good thing because that could mean that people are feeling comfortable coming forward and saying, ‘I need help,’.”
Linder added that sexual violence in an intimate partner relationship is often underreported “because our culture has constructed sexual assault as something happening when a stranger is jumping out of the bushes and grabbing someone.”
Additionally, fondling cases increased significantly on campus — from 55 in 2023 to 83 in 2024, including 51 at the University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics.
Meanwhile, aggravated assault reports tripled in a year — from seven in 2023 to 21 in 2024, including 14 reported in healthcare settings.
And motor vehicle thefts spiked from seven in 2023 to 35 last year. E-scooters, e-bikes, and e-skateboards are classified as auto thefts. Of last year’s motor vehicle theft cases, 22 involved e-bikes, e-scooters or e-skateboards and three were golf carts.
The detailed crime data report is mandated by state law, requiring Utah higher education institutions to gather information about all crimes reported to campus and local law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, The federal Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses.
Congress enacted the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act in 1990. It has been amended to include increased safety and reporting measures. The act is named for a college freshman who in 1986 was raped and murdered in her residence on the campus of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
Beyond the annual accountancy of crime on campus, colleges and universities are required to issue “timely warnings” to their campus communities when specific crimes are reported, while keeping a daily crime log typically found on campus security pages.
Campus climate survey: Assessing sexual harassment prevalence — and school responses
The University of Utah also posted Friday its 2024 Utah Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Survey: Key Findings Report.
“As part of our efforts to learn about, educate, prevent, and respond to sexual or gender-based misconduct, The University of Utah launched a 2024 campus climate survey to assess the prevalence of sexual harassment and misconduct on our campus as well as measure awareness and perceptions of campus resources and responses,” noted a survey introductory letter.
“This survey represents The University of Utah’s fifth sexual assault climate survey; part of our continual effort to assess, understand, and respond to campus climate needs.”
Every student in the university community, the survey added, has a right to experience freedom from discrimination and harassment. That conviction prompted an anonymous, system-wide assessment, conducted by Rankin Climate, to collect information “on the experiences and perceptions of the student body regarding sexual and gender-based harassment and misconduct.”
Five forms of sexual misconduct were assessed in the survey: Sexual and gender-based harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and intimate image abuse. Experiences of sexual and gender-based harassment perpetrated by Utah faculty and staff was assessed separately from sexual and gender-based harassment perpetrated by other students.
Overall, 1,966 University of Utah students responded to the survey.
Approximately three out of four survey respondents were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, and the remaining respondents were enrolled in a graduate or professional program.
The survey revealed several key findings regarding sexual misconduct on campus, including:
- Undergraduate students/respondents identifying as “non-binary” or “women” reported the highest rates of “sexual or gender-based harassment” at 35% and 21%, respectively. Fourteen percent of men reported experiencing “sexual or gender-based harassment.
- More than a quarter of the undergraduate students identifying as “women” or “non-binary” reported being the victims/survivors of stalking.
- And more than a quarter of “non-binary” survey participants say they have been the victims of intimate partner violence.
The University of Utah’s sexual misconduct climate survey is also being used to inform its prevention and response efforts.
The analysis identified that university students “reflect a high awareness of campus policies and improved understanding of consent.”
Meanwhile, peer networks remain “a trusted source of support” — suggesting further opportunities to strengthen peer education and disclosure assistance, according to the survey.
The climate survey also identified areas of concern — including intimate partner violence rates exceeding national averages and many students reflecting uncertainty about where to seek help or what happens after reporting.
The analysis also recommends the University of Utah enhance its intimate partner violence prevention and support programs and launch targeted communication campaigns focused on clarifying reporting, help-seeking options and support pathways.
Ensuring student safety on an evolving University of Utah campus
Traditionally a commuter school, the University of Utah expects to undergo dramatic changes in the coming years as it expands and evolves into a campus with increasing numbers of students living on-site.
Justesen said the school is working to meet the changes in its efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence and harassment. “More students on campus means more student leaders on campus, which means more levels of support.”
University spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said the school is “building a culture of consent” and understanding of interpersonal violence.
“It’s a continual effort. … We are going to have a new group of students every year. We need to help bring along that culture of consent — and understanding interpersonal violence and toxic relationships and what healthy relationships are.”
Linder added she’s reassured that people are being empowered with information about dating, consent and sex at a younger age. But the problems surrounding dating and sexual violence remain unresolved.
“This is a problem nationally with college students,” she said, “but I am hopeful about that culture shift.”