For the second time since the beginning of the new school year a week ago, Notre Dame students received a campus-wide email informing them of a sexual assault reported on campus.
On Sunday afternoon, Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) notified students that two sex crimes were reported on campus early Sunday morning. An incident of sexual assault, as defined in du Lac, was reported in a Mod Quad men's residence hall, and an incident of sexaul battery was reported in a North Quad men's residence hall, the email stated.
On Friday afternoon, NDSP sent an email that said the department was investigating a report of sexual assault in a South Quad men's residence hall that occurred early Friday morning. The two additional reports on Sunday bring the total of sexual offenses reported on campus to three since students moved back to campus last weekend.
According to multiple studies and reports, the first six weeks of the school year are known as the "red zone," in which female students face an increased risk of sexual assault.
According to du Lac, sexual battery, defined as "non-consensual sexual contact," is "any sexual touching with any part of the body or other object, by any person upon another, without consent. Sexual touching is contact of a sexual nature, however slight."
Sexual assault, on the other hand, is defined by du Lac as "any sexual intercourse by any person upon another without consent. It includes oral, anal and vaginal penetration, to any degree, with any part of the body or other object. It is also referred to as 'non-consensual sexual intercourse.'"
"Sexual assault can happen to anyone," the email sent Sunday stated. "Anyone initiating any kind of sexual contact with another person must seek consent and not engage in sexual contact unless consent is given.
"According to du Lac, 'Consent means informed, freely given agreement, communicated by clearly understandable words or actions, to participate in each form of sexual activity,'" the email continued. "Consent cannot be inferred from silence, passivity, or lack of active resistance. Importantly, intoxication is not an excuse for failure to obtain consent, and a person who is incapacitated — whether by alcohol, drugs, or otherwise — is incapable of giving consent."
