BLOOMINGTON — A sexual assault and battery was reported to IU Police at Union Street Apartments on Nov. 11, according to IU Public Safety Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba.
Skibba said the assault happened Oct. 27 and the suspect is known to police. The case remains open.
The start of the academic year to Thanksgiving Break is known as the “Red Zone,” or the time during the year when sexual assault reports are highest. So far this academic year, there have been 17 reported sexual assaults.
Some IU students have been arrested on sexual assault charges.
In September, 20-year-old Noah Apgar was arrested after two women reported Apgar raped them in two separate incidents. He was originally charged with seven felony charges for the reported assault. A judge dismissed six of the charges last month.
Just days before that, IUPD arrested 18-year-old Gregory Gabler for a rape that was reported at Willkie Hall. He was later charged with two counts of rape, a Level 3 felony.
During welcome week, 18-year-old Jackson Arnold was arrested after a girl told police Arnold had repeatedly touched her inappropriately. He is facing three counts of sexual battery, each level 6 felonies.
According to IU’s 2024 Security and Public Safety Report, for the IU Bloomington campus in 2023, there were 30 reported rapes that occurred on-campus, and one reported rapes that occurred off campus, totaling 31. This was an descrease from 2022, where there were 38 reported rapes that occurred on-campus, and five reported rapes that occurred off campus, totaling 43.
The IU Security and Public Safety Report defines rape as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
IUPD shared the following tips to consider when it comes to sexual assaults on campus:
- Perpetrators of sexual assault are often more likely to assault someone they know, rather than a stranger. It is also important to know that perpetrators of sexual assault can be strangers to the victim. The perpetrator, not the survivor, is responsible for any instance of sexual assault.
- Consent: Anyone initiating any kind of sexual contact with another person must obtain their consent. Consent is an agreement or permission expressed through affirmative, voluntary words or actions that are mutually understandable to all parties involved. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Consent cannot be coerced or compelled by force, threat, deception, or intimidation.
- Keep in mind that consent cannot be given by someone who is incapacitated. This means that a person is incapable of consent if they are unable to understand the facts, nature, extent, or implications of the situation due to drugs, alcohol, a mental disability, being asleep or unconscious, or based on their age (pursuant to Indiana law).
- Personal Safety: Perpetrators may use social media platforms to meet potential victims. Perpetrators may use personal information shared to engage in harmful and harassing behaviors. Be cautious about what you share and how you use social media. Use safety resources on your social media platforms to report anyone harassing or exhibiting harmful behaviors. Perpetrators often use drugs and/or alcohol to target potential victims. Other date rape drugs are tasteless, colorless, odorless, can be ingested in a multitude of forms, and the effects are not immediately apparent. Be cautious of any substance you are drinking, eating, or inhaling that you have not personally prepared and has not remained in your constant control.
- Bystander Intervention – Look out for each other. If one of you cannot be with a group of trusted friends, tell each other where you are going, whom you will be with, when you expect to return, and that you’ll contact them if anything changes. If you see someone in trouble, intervene directly if it is safe for you to do so, or delegate by seeking help from those around you or by calling 911.
For information on how to report sexual misconduct at IU visit: https://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/report/index.html
