Two rapes associated with the University of Tampa occurred on Gasparilla. Most students are unaware that one allegedly occurred in a UT dorm room and received no media attention.
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The other incident received national attention in part because the woman, who was parked at UT, was later jailed after police realized she had unpaid fines.UT students were made aware of the dorm assault, which was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, by TPD flyers found in only two campus locations.
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Although Dean of Students Bob Ruday and Director of Campus Safety and Security Charles Mascenik were well aware of the incident, when University Spokesperson Grant Donaldson was asked about the incident, he said, ‘That would be news to me.’
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Federal laws, such as the Clery Act, require university officials-even at private universities-to issue information concerning campus crime.
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Crimes committed within the jurisdiction of campus security must be reported in the log. Information reported includes nature of crime, date, time, general location and nature of the complaint.
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Three days after the incident, The Minaret received a security report that contains a ‘confidential’ entry on Jan. 27, the date of Gasparilla. The following week’s report contained no mention of a sexual battery. Three police reports after Gasparilla, there was still no mention of the sexual battery.
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Although the report sent to The Minaret did not report the crime, the campus crime log located in the security office showed a report of a sexual assault on Jan. 27. A sexual assault is a less severe crime than a sexual battery, which is the actual classification of the crime.
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‘After the police take over the matter, they know the details after that,’ Mascenik added. Since the case had not been classifed yet and was still under investigation, the case file was marked as confidential. The person who writes the reports for The Minaret assumed the case was confidential and mistakenly gave no details to The Minaret in the report.
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Federal law requires the University to make the log available and accurate information be reported.
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The Minaret is not seeking information regarding the identity of the victim. We understand the need for privacy on her part, but the University can protect her identity while operating within the law by reporting the crime as TPD did, with honesty, openness and a goal of protecting the victim.
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‘All post-secondary institutions, public and private, receiving federal financial assistance’hellip;[must] keep and maintain daily campus or security department crime logs and make them readily available for public inspection,’ according to The Student Press Law Center. The report must be available to the public within two business days of the report being made to campus police. Any new information must be added within two days after reporting. All reported crimes are required to be in the log.
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The Minaret received the campus security report in a timely fashion each week for several years prior to Feb. 5, which would have been the report in which the University was required to print the incident. The Jan. 29 report was composed within 48 hours of the crime).
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They are also required to ‘make ‘timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to other students and employees’hellip;’.’
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U.S. Department of Education may impose fines of up to $25,000 per incident not reported and, in certain cases, may withhold all federal funding.
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After talking to a Reslife RA’s and head residents and students, The Minaret ascertained that students were not informed.
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Charles Mascenik spoke before Student Government Assembly on Feb. 6 to warn about campus automobile break-ins, but he made no reference to campus sexual battery.
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If TPD and UT Security were serious about catching the suspect and protecting the community, notification should have been made to the campus. Not doing so puts all students in jeopardy by not allowing them to realize the need to take extra precautions with their safety.
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If several administrators know of the incident and others do not, there is either a serious communication error, a serious security error or a cover-up. Regardless of the reason, it does not bode well for student safety and the university’s compliance with federal law.
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As the university grows, transparency will be needed to hold all individuals and offices accountable for their actions, both positive and negative. Student media will need to be made aware of information and be able to confidently believe the information is factual and as complete as it can be while weighing privacy concerns.
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Related Stories:
Initial story: Suspect in UT Rape Sought
Commentary
Letter to the Editor: Date Rape Is Sexual Battery