Justice Story REWRITE

Police say sexual assaults at Washington State University are underreported and that reports recanted earlier this semester may lead the public to distrust victims in the future.
WSU Police Officer Mike Petlovany says he believes sexual assault and rape are “extremely underreported” on campus. According to the 2009-2010 Cougar Annual Safety/Fire Report, a public record of crime and incident statistics at WSU, just three cases of forcible rape were reported on campus in 2008.
“I have no doubt that there are many more incidents that occur that we just never hear about,” Petlovany said.
Petlovany said students can take precautions against sexual assault, such as coming and leaving parties in groups, avoiding walking alone at night, and monitoring alcohol consumption.
“Some people do take precautions and are aware of the risk,” Petlovany said. “But some make themselves easier targets.”
Early this semester, many WSU students felt a twinge of panic as they received late-night text messages alerting them of assaults on campus. The three attacks, though recanted just days later, brought the reality of sexual assault uncomfortably close to home.
Although the WSU campus newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, reported on the alleged assaults and the subsequent recants, it was never made clear why the reports were recanted
Some students say this lack of clarity may have a negative effect on the campus attitude reporting sexual assaults.
“The recants definitely breed an atmosphere that considers women to be liars,” senior political science major Jared Chastain said. “On the other hand, when no one comes forward at all, we have this false sense of security. Like, ‘See? Nothing bad happens here.’”


Mary Anderson, the WSU Women’s Resource Center program coordinator, said it’s important the recants are not considered “false reports” since reasons behind them are still not public knowledge.
“If they are thought of as false reports, there is a negative effect on campus,” Anderson said. “People do start to dismiss other reports, and considering the difficulty that victims already have in coming forward, we do not want the situation worsened.”
Anderson said that although the WSU police have no way of recording unreported cases, national statistics imply that as few as 10 percent of sexual assaults are reported.
Anderson said that societal standards don’t allow men who are victims of sexual assault to report crimes against them.
“Sexual assault absolutely does happen to men,” Anderson said. “But in our society, women are expected to be victims, while men aren’t allowed to be.”
Another issue that is seldom spoken about on college campuses is men as victims of sexual assault.
While there are several resources on campus available for women to take preventative measures against sexual assault, such as Women’s Transit and the Women’s Resource Center, there are few comparative resources for men.
WSU Recreation is now offering a Men's Violence Prevention class as part of the Wellbeing program. According to the online description, the class includes a discussion of how men can “better limit and prevent violence and sexual misconduct.” A full range of self-defense skills tailored for men is also taught.
Women’s Transit, a program that provides rides for women who would otherwise walk alone at night, is also open to members of the gay and transgender community.
“These people are struggling between two communities, and with a multitude of identities,” Chastain, who is a Women’s Transit volunteer, said. “I fully support the decision to provide safe alternatives for people at risk.”