On Oct. 1, University of Michigan’s Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) published its 2022 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR), which provides information on University policies, local laws, emergency services and statistics of reported crimes on campus from 2019 through 2021.
Erik Mattila, DPSS clery compliance and data assurance manager, described the results of the report in an email to the U-M community on Oct. 1.
“As one might expect of any large university campus, incidents do arise,” Mattila wrote. “However, as you review the ASFSR, you will find that the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus continues to be a safe place for our community to live, learn, work, heal and visit.”
The most recent report covers data from 2021. Of the 199 reported rape cases in 2021, 182 were cases involving former athletic doctor Robert Anderson, who committed decades of sexual abuse against U-M athletes as early as the 1970s. Reports of Anderson’s crimes were not reported until 2020, which saw much higher cases than in previous years.
DPSS Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton wrote in an email to The Michigan Daily that the increase in crime at the start of this three-year period was due to several factors, namely lower numbers of students on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in violence in health care facilities and the ongoing reporting for the Anderson case.
“The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires universities to provide their communities with this information so people can make informed decisions about their personal safety,” Overton wrote.
Pamela Swider, founder and manager of the Standing Tough Against Rape Society (STARS), works hand in hand with the student organization University Students Against Rape. In an email to The Daily, Swider said it is crucial the University offers trauma-based counseling for students to support them through the process of reporting an incident.
“The school needs to provide trauma-based sexual violence counseling via the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC),” Swider wrote. “Yes, SAPAC provides advocates to help manage the reporting process and Title IX, etc., but without therapy, many students will not be in a place to report.”
Swider also said encouraging students who have experienced sexual abuse to attend therapy isn’t enough.
“Pushing someone who is in a crisis to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) isn’t enough,” Swider said. “SafeHouse is another referring agency but that is a big step for someone to take. If a student knows they can get free therapy and knows that a therapist is available to them after reporting, then they may be more comfortable reporting. Other universities have provided this type of service to students in the state of Michigan.”
The report also found that liquor law violations decreased from 968 cases to 334 cases between 2020 to 2021. Other types of crime, including domestic violence, aggravated assault and weapon law arrests, have shown little change. There were also two unintentional fires on South Main Street and Packard Street in 2021, according to the report.
Daily News Contributor Courtney Plaza can be reached at cbplaza@umich.edu.