On Monday evening at 6:42 p.m. the University of Wyoming Police Department responded to a sexual assault complaint near the UW apartments on 30th Street and Willett Drive, according to a news release from UW.
According to the release, the incident took place when a juvenile male, who is alleged to have committed the assault, advanced on a juvenile female. Neither party involved is a UW student. As both are juveniles, no further information on the suspect or victim is available.
The news release went on to say that steps have been taken to ensure that there is no present threat to the community and that a suspect has been identified.
Several UW departments declined to comment on this incident beyond the press release, including the Dean of Students’ office, UW Apartments and UWPD.
The Albany County Attorney’s Office has taken over the case, but declined to comment on the incident.
Sexual assault has long been regarded as an issue in Laramie and on college campuses nationwide, with a large percentage of incidents going unreported every year.
“Sexual assault and rape are traditionally the most underreported crimes, not just in the department of education, but nationwide,” said UWPD Chief of Police Mike Samp in an interview with the Branding Iron in January. “Under the uniform crime report, I’ve seen it as low as only one out of 10 incidents are reported to law enforcement.”
The University of Wyoming has numerous resources aimed at helping students involved in a sexual assault incident and educating students on the issue. One such resource is the STOP Program, an advocacy group for survivors of sexual violence, which hosts events to inform UW students about sexual violence.
Megan Selheim, the STOP Violence program coordinator said in an interview with the Branding Iron in January that educating people on what does and does not constitute consent is a major aspect of what they do.
“Don’t assume they’re on board, assume you don’t have their consent,” said Selheim. “[People think] it’s a maze, or something like that, but consent is not confusing. If you’re not sure you have their consent, it’s a crime.”
A prevalent national issue recently, sexual assault prevention came to the forefront of American rhetoric last week when the White House launched the “It’s On Us” campaign, which seeks to encourage Americans to view stopping sexual assault as a personal duty.
In a report issued earlier this year, a White House task force on campus sexual assault said that bystander prevention is one of the most promising means of combating sexual assault.
