Third UT rape reported in campus dorm this month, 5th report on or near campus since March

Two more rapes have been reported in on-campus residence halls at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this month, making a total of three reports of rape in campus dorms in September.

The most recent report marks the fifth rape reported on or near campus since March.

Eight forcible sexual offenses committed against UT Knoxville students, four of which were cleared, were chronicled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in 2017, the most recent year for which TBI crime statistics are available.

The most recent episode occurred Saturday at an unknown time in a residence hall on the west side of campus, according to the UT Police Department's crime log.

The report was made through a Campus Security Authority, and the complainant declined to document the crime in a police report, the crime log stated.

The title Campus Security Authority is given to a variety of personnel like campus police, resident assistants, Title IX officers and coaching staff who are trained in reporting crimes that fall within the federal Jeanne Clery Act.

Under the Clery Act, colleges and universities that take part in federal financial aid programs must track and make public campus crime statistics and security information, according to the Federal Student Aid Office under the U.S. Department of Education.

Designated campus security authorities are responsible for reporting qualifying crimes that took place on campus, in public places adjacent to campus and in certain non-campus buildings owned or leased by the school, UT's website states.

Student knew accused rapist

In a separate incident, a female student reported being raped by an individual she knew in a residence hall on the west side of campus earlier this month, according to a safety notice emailed to campus community members.

A third-party report of the rape was given to a Campus Security Authority at about 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 11, according to the safety notice, which was sent out by the university's Clery Office that afternoon.

The female student reported that she had been sexually assaulted to another student, who alerted the UT Police Department's dispatch center, which is considered a CSA.

The complainant did not move forward with filing a police report and no investigation was conducted.

When police offered to speak with her, "she didn't want to," said Jillian Paciello, Clery Act compliance coordinator and deputy Title IX coordinator for law enforcement for the UT Police Department.

Multiple people approached the complainant about reporting the incident to police and she refused every time, according to Paciello, who declined to disclose the residence hall in which the reported rape occurred "out of protection for the victim."

The News Sentinel does not name rape victims.

The dispatch center contacted the complainant's residence hall, Paciello said, and the student was connected with the university's Office of Title IX, which provides resources and support for individuals affected by sexual misconduct, relationship violence, stalking and retaliation.

Paciello did not have any other details to share.

Third reported rape this month

Another female student reported being raped by a person she knew in an east-side residence hall last week.

Police were made aware of the incident at about 3:30 a.m. Friday, but that student also did not file a police report.

UT Knoxville's Clery Office circulated safety notices for last week's report as well as the rape that was reported Sept. 11. Notices are required by the Clery Act as they fill students in on recent crimes.

The institution sends safety notices case by case, depending on the location and timing of crimes, according to Paciello.

A safety notice was not sent out for the sexual assault that was reported on Saturday. It was not immediately clear why.

The reports fall at a time a national conversation is building around the reasons victims of sexual assault don't always break their silence on the crime committed against them.

The dialogue has recently been propelled by high-profile sexual misconduct allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Two accusers may testify against Kavanaugh on Thursday with a third potentially coming forward this week.

UT Knoxville has also been engaging in a public conversation and a movement — both on campus and through social media channels — promoting the need for consent. The university defines consent as "an active agreement to participate in sexual contact or penetration," according to the Twitter account of the university's Center for Health Education and Wellness.

On Monday, the center wrapped up an initiative in which students signed a "Red Zone" banner pledging to speak up against sexual assault.

The Red Zone refers to a time period during the fall semester from the start of classes to Thanksgiving break "when students are statistically more at risk for sexual assault," the center's website states.