The #MeToo movement caught national attention at the end of 2017 after allegations against media mogul Harvey Weinstein sparked a national conversation about sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The following year, New Jersey’s four-year college campuses saw a 15% increase in rape reports and a 47% increase in fondling allegations, according to an NJ Advance Media review of campus security data.
There were 166 rape allegations at the state’s 28 residential, four-year colleges and universities in 2018, the latest available data in annual campus crime reports published by the schools.
That is 15% more rape reports than in 2017 and 50% more reports than in 2015, according to NJ Advance Media’s review.
New Jersey’s campuses also received 94 reports of fondling, 247 domestic violence complaints, 127 reports of stalking, 45 dating violence complaints and six statutory rape reports in 2018, the data shows.
It is unclear if the increases in rape and fondling allegations are related to the #MeToo movement or to efforts by many college campuses to make it easier for students to file reports and receive counseling.
“The reality of this isn’t that sexual violence on campus is necessarily occurring any more often than it did in years prior, but rather that students on campus are becoming more comfortable reporting the harassment and assault they’re experiencing,” said Marissa Marzano, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
The increase in reports could mean students have more clarity about how to report sexual violence on campus, Marzano said.
Here are the number of reported incidents at each of New Jersey’s four-year colleges with residential campuses in 2018. They are listed from the campuses with the most reported rapes to the least:
Rowan University
Enrollment: 19,465
Rapes: 21 (compared to 13 the previous year)
Fondling: 11
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 70
Stalking: 56
Rutgers University- New Brunswick/ Piscataway
Enrollment: 50,254
Rapes: 15 (compared to 30 the previous year)
Fondling: 6
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 49
Stalking: 5
Stockton University
Enrollment: 9,621
Rapes: 15 (compared to 6 the previous year)
Fondling: 7
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 22
Stalking: 10
Princeton University
Enrollment: 8,374
Rapes: 13 (compared to 12 the previous year)
Fondling: 21
Dating violence: 2
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 4
Ramapo College
Enrollment: 6,174
Rapes: 13 (compared to 10 the previous year)
Fondling: 3
Dating violence: 4
Domestic violence: 3
Stalking: 9
Rutgers-Newark
Enrollment: 13,451
Rapes: 12* (compared to 3 the previous year)
*(1 of the 12 reports was determined to be “unfounded,” the school said.)
Fondling: 3
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 19
Stalking: 0
Montclair State University
Enrollment: 21,115
Rapes: 9 (compared to 9 the previous year)
Fondling: 1
Dating violence: 7
Domestic violence: 15
Stalking: 3
The College of New Jersey
Enrollment: 7,686
Rapes: 7 (compared to 5 the previous year)
Fondling: 3
Dating violence: 6
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 1
Seton Hall University
Enrollment: 10,162
Rapes: 7 (compared to 4 the previous year)
Fondling: 4
Dating violence: 3
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 4
Kean University
Enrollment: 14,056
Rapes: 6 (compared to 7 the previous year)
Fondling: 4
Dating violence: 3
Domestic violence: 2
Stalking: 0
Stevens Institute of Technology
Enrollment: 6,929
Rapes: 6 (compared to 6 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 5
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 3
Drew University
Enrollment: 2,263
Rapes: 6 (compared to 5 the previous year)
Fondling: 5
Dating violence: 1
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 3
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences- Newark campus
Enrollment: 6,900
Rapes: 6* (compared to 0 the previous year)
*(2 of the 6 were determined to be “unfounded,” the schools said.)
Fondling: 5
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 17
Stalking: 0
William Paterson University
Enrollment: 10,198
Rapes: 5 (compared to 4 the previous year)
Statutory rape: 1
Fondling: 6
Dating violence: 5
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 4
Monmouth University
Enrollment: 6,167
Rapes: 4 (compared to 9 the previous year)
Statutory rapes: 5 (All involved the same victim at a summer camp, the school said.)
Fondling: 1
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 8
Stalking: 0
Fairleigh Dickinson University- Florham campus
Enrollment: 3,400
Rapes: 4 (compared to 5 the previous year)
Fondling: 1
Dating violence: 1
Domestic violence: 4
Stalking: 1
Georgian Court University
Enrollment: 2,458
Rapes: 4 (compared to 3 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 1
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 0
Centenary University
Enrollment: 1,802
Rapes: 4 (compared to 2 the previous year)
Fondling: 1
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: o
Stalking: 0
Caldwell University
Enrollment: 2,189
Rapes: 3 (compared to 1 the previous year)
Fondling: 2
Dating violence: 1
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 0
Saint Peter’s University
Enrollment: 3,452
Rapes: 2 (compared to 1 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 1
Felician University
Enrollment: 2,004
Rapes: 1 (compared to 0 the previous year)
Fondling: 3
Dating violence: 2
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 1
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Enrollment: 11,423
Rapes: 1 (compared to 2 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 2
Stalking: 2
Rider University
Enrollment: 4,824
Rapes: 1 (compared to 2 the previous year)
Fondling: 4
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 11
Stalking: 3
Fairleigh Dickinson University- Metropolitan campus
Enrollment: 6,464
Rapes: 1 (compared to 0 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 1
Stalking: 0
Rutgers-Camden
Enrollment: 7,171
Rapes: 0 (compared to 3 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 14
Stalking: 1
Bloomfield College
Enrollment: 1,685
Rapes: 0 (compared to 2 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 3
Domestic violence: 4
Stalking: 0
New Jersey City University
Enrollment: 7,991
Rapes: 0 (compared to 0 the previous year)
Fondling: 3
Dating violence: 0
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 10
College of Saint Elizabeth
Enrollment: 1,186
Rapes: 0 (compared to 0 the previous year)
Fondling: 0
Dating violence: 1
Domestic violence: 0
Stalking: 1
Where do these numbers come from?
Jeanne Clery, a Lehigh University student, was raped and murdered in her dorm room in 1986 in a case that prompted advocates to call for safer campuses and more transparency.
Colleges are required by a federal law named after Clery to publish their campus crime statistics every year. The 2018 numbers were distributed to students this school year.
Several years ago, the law was amended to require colleges to break out how many sexual offenses on campus were classified as rapes to give students a clearer picture of safety at their schools.
Neither the state nor the federal government tracks how many campus crimes there are in New Jersey each year. NJ Advance Media reviewed reports from each of the state’s four-year colleges with residential campuses to calculate the statewide totals.
The numbers include alleged crimes reported on campus, including in dorms. The totals also include the areas immediately surrounding a campus, including public property and land and facilities not owned by the school.
Why do some colleges have high numbers of rapes while others have none?
Rowan University had more rape reports than any other four-year school in New Jersey in 2018, according to the data. The Glassboro-based public university received 21 rape reports in 2018, compared to 13 the previous year.
Rutgers University’s New Brunswick/ Piscataway campus had the second highest number of rape reports with 15, compared to 30 the previous year.
At the bottom of the list, the College of Saint Elizabeth, New Jersey City University, Bloomfield College and Rutgers-Camden had no rape reports in 2018.
Rowan and Rutgers-New Brunswick are among the largest universities in the state, so their numbers could be a reflection of their size and their high number of dorms.
Rowan officials said the 21 rape reports, 70 domestic violence complaints, 56 stalking reports and 11 fondling allegations on their campus in 2018 could also be a result of resources to support alleged victims and encourage reporting.
“At Rowan, we actively raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses and highlight all of the resources and support available to victims that they can help reduce the rate of incidence and help those affected begin to heal,” said Joe Cardona, Rowan’s vice president for university relations. “Clearly, more work needs to be done at all of New Jersey’s colleges and universities.”
At Rutgers, school officials said they launched a campaign in 2016 to increase student awareness about sexual violence resources. Campus police were given new training and more victim assistance centers opened.
At Rutgers-Newark, a new Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance office opened in 2017. The following year, the number of reported rapes at Rutgers-Newark quadrupled to 12, though one of the cases was later determined to be a false report, according to the campus crime report.
“The university believes the increase in the number of reported sexual assaults at some of our locations and the decreases at other locations since that time reflects our ongoing efforts to raise awareness about sexual violence resources, and we are encouraged that those seeking help have connected with these resources,” Rutgers officials said in a statement.
What is considered ‘rape’ or ‘fondling’?
College campuses are required to use the federal description of crimes when classifying reports of rape, fondling, dating violence and other crimes for their campus crime reports.
A rape of a woman or a man is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
Fondling is defined as "the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity."
Dating violence is sexual or physical abuse by someone in a relationship, including the threat of violence, according to the federal definition.
Monmouth and William Paterson universities also reported statutory rape cases in 2019. Those cases, which involved people allegedly having sex with minors under 16, are considered non-forcible offenses and are counted in a separate category from rape on the campus crime reports.
Was anyone arrested for these alleged rapes?
The campus crime data provided by the colleges only details how many reports were made on campus. The crime reports do not say if anyone was arrested for the alleged rapes or if the cases ever made it to trial.
Are these numbers accurate?
The colleges self-report the crime statistics and critics say there is no independent reviews to make sure they are accurate. Sexual assault prevention advocates also say campus rape statistics only provide a narrow window into the campus climate.
“Whenever we see official reports, we know it’s often only the tip of the iceberg. Sexual violence remains the most vastly underreported crime. Some students will simply never feel safe reporting their victimization to authorities on- or off-campus," said Marzano, the spokeswoman for the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
“The best thing we can do is continue to create communities where every person feels their reported experience will be handled with the care and attention that it deserves,” she said.
Read more about sexual misconduct in New Jersey:
--Rutgers refuses to investigate some sexual harassment claims. Are students at risk?
Tell us your experiences with allegations of sexual misconduct in New Jersey: Here’s how to share your story.
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.