Based on statistics over the past five years from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 60 percent of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported to the police.

According to a recent report titled “Sexual Assault on Campus,” published by The Center for Public Integrity, there are many barriers that prevent students from coming forth to report sexual assault.

The report states that because the victim of a rape or sexual assault is frequently in an altered state of mind during the rape, either due to alcohol or drugs, it is often nearly impossible for the victim to identify the perpetrator.

During the fall 2009 semester, Binghamton University’s New York State University Police Department has received zero sexual abuse or rape incident reports.

According to a Justice Department-funded report conducted in 2002, another problem is that nearly 60 percent of universities do not educate their students on how to prevent rape, and what action to take if a rape does occur.

It is difficult to remedy a situation like this, but Officer Bonnie Hanna of University police suggests that teaching people about how the police can help a victim is key.

“Basically, it boils down to education,” Hanna said. “If people would take the time to educate themselves about personal safety, their chances of being involved in any kind of a crime is greatly diminished.”

BU offers many pamphlets that provide information about sex, preventing sexual assault and drugs and substance abuse. These can be found at University police, Health Services and the Old University Union, among other places on campus.

“Our department does offer all kinds of Residential Life programming on sexual assault and crime prevention,” Hanna said. “We teach a women’s self-defense class through physical education. When we educate students, we try to educate them not to use alcohol and drugs because their capacity to make good decisions is diminished. A lot of prevention happens through education.”

Cases of sexual assault and rape are taken very seriously on campus at BU — University police has stressed that it is on the victim’s side and will do whatever is in his or her best interest, whether that means arresting the perpetrator or providing the victim with medical care and making sure that the victim is in a safe place.

However, University police is not the only resource that a distressed rape victim can go to for help.

Crime Victims Assistance Center (CVAC), located on Robinson Street in Binghamton, is a support center for victims of all kinds of crimes, including rape and sexual assault, that offers counseling and a 24-hour crisis line.

“Crime Victims Assistance is a statewide [non-profit] organization that assists victims of all types of crime in any way that they need,” Hanna said. “The definition of help is unique to each individual — CVAC helps you with whatever you need.”

According to a representative from CVAC, rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence are the most common reports.

“If the victim is in the hospital, the hospital will call us in order for us to be with the victim,” said Jaime McManus, executive assistant of CVAC. “We tell the victim what his or her rights are and what is available to him or her. We offer counseling, legal resources and we have a state-funded compensation service.”

University police, CVAC and the Center for Public Integrity all stress that rape is never the victim’s fault, and that the victim should come forth to report what has happened and get the help he or she needs in order to recover.

BU offers counseling and judicial services for this purpose, and students are urged to take advantage of them.