Slides: Sex Assault Complaints and Actions at Oregon’s 8 Public Universities

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Shelby Sebens, GoLocalPDX Reporter

Oregon Universities investigate campus sexual assault complaints

As the national debate continues to erupt over universities' handling of campus sexual assault complaints, Oregon's schools are like many across the country when it comes to investigating and taking action in these cases.

Only half of the reported sexual assaults at Oregon's eight public universities over the last five years resulted in punishment, according to a GoLocalPDX analysis. This comes as national media outlets report that fewer than one third of sexual assault complaints investigated across the country result in expulsions.

Of the 203 sexual assault cases reported by Oregon’s public universities over the last five years, 171 were investigated and 106 resulted in the accused being punished, according to documents obtained by GoLocalPDX through public records requests.

The universities investigated 65 percent of the sexual assault cases reported. The numbers are an average of all the reports from Oregon's eight public universities.

In some cases, victims chose not to pursue the case, in some there was not sufficient evidence, and others were referred to law enforcement.

School officials say that in several cases students choose not to report or move forward with an internal investigation.

"In the majority of cases they don’t want to report it and we’re not trying to push a student to do anything, but we do want to make sure they know what their options are,” said Di Saunders, Oregon Institute of Technology spokeswoman. "There’s no case where someone would report something and nothing was done."

Only three of the eight universities provided requested data on the number of cases that were sent to law enforcement agencies.

The universities investigated 65 percent of the sexual assault complaints reported. At U of O, for example, the school received 45 reports of sexual assault complaints, but only investigated 29.

Related Slideshow: Slideshow: Sexual Assault Investigations and Outcomes at Oregon Universities

Nearly half of the sexual assault cases reported to Oregon’s public universities over the last five years resulted in no punishment, according to an analysis by GoLocalPDX. The universities investigated 65 percent of the sexual assault cases reported. Of those investigated, the number of accused found guilty was slightly higher, at 62 percent.