Too close for comfort

Mary Noble had teeth marks on her bicep the next morning.

Those teeth marks, intended to be sensual, haunted her for days as they remained on her body. Over two years after being sexually assaulted, she still bears the memory of that night.

While the teeth marks on her arm can no longer be seen, the scars from the man who date raped her remain.

"I felt ashamed and embarrassed about the entire situation," said the current junior. "I blamed myself for having too much to drink and for somehow not sticking with my friends."

For this article, rape victims agreed to speak with The DePauw on the condition of anonymity for fear of being stigmatized on campus. Mary Noble and Olivia Thompson, who is mentioned later in the story, are fictitious names used to protect the individuals' identities.

Noble is one of many victims of sexual assault on DePauw's campus who decided not to report her case to the university. Though reports of sexual assault have increased from six cases in 2008 to nine in 2011, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website says that 60 percent of all sexual assault cases go unreported.

That may explain why universities such as Purdue and Notre Dame have similar numbers of reported sex offenses with thousands more students.

Director of Public Safety Angela Nally said that she knows many cases of sexual assault go unreported, but she believes the number of cases reported continues to increase due to greater awareness.

"It worries me that we have a culture that sexual assaults exist in, but I am very glad that the individuals that these numbers represent sought out someone to help them," Nally said.

According to the sexual assault policy posted on the university website, sexual assault can "include a broad spectrum of behaviors including: relationship violence; stalking; voyeurism; sexual battery; rape; sexual harassment or any other nonconsensual sexually-related conduct."

Indiana state law uses a similar definition and adds, "A person who is unconscious (passed out) or incapacitated, whether from alcohol, drugs, or illness, cannot give consent to sex. Therefore, if sexual contact occurs, it is sexual assault."

Two years ago, Noble had just joined a greek chapter as a freshman and was eager to celebrate with her sorority sisters on "black monday," the day after bid day in which the greek community at DePauw celebrates its new members. On that night, Noble went to the fraternities with her new sorority sisters and began drinking. After pre-gaming, taking many shots and drinking an unmeasured number of mixed drinks, Noble realized she was very intoxicated.

She rendezvoused with a male friend who she had talked to a few times before and her sorority sisters quickly let her know that he was interested in hooking up with her. Both Noble and the man were intoxicated, but Noble said she did not feel uncomfortable kissing the man. As the situation moved to the man's bed, however, Noble worried about what would come next.

The man removed Noble's clothing as well as his own and penetrated her.

"He didn't stop," Noble said. "I was pinned down and whether due to fear or too much to drink or a combination of both, I was overcome with a sense of helplessness and could not move."

She began crying, but the man did not stop.

When the man finished Noble crawled out of the bed, grabbed her clothes and ran from the man's room. She cried as she made her way back to her dorm room. Noble saw that she had missed phone calls and text messages from her friends.

Noble awoke the next morning to the harsh reality that she had been date raped. She told a few close friends who referred her to a Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate as well as the Wellness Center, but Noble elected not to go.

She had been sexually abused by a boyfriend in high school and received extensive ridicule as a result. Noble hoped to avoid similar treatment from her peers by deciding not to report the incident to the university.

"When I came to DePauw it was a fresh start," Noble said. "I did not want to spend my next three years becoming a social outcast just like in high school."

Junior Sarah Kloppenburg, an intern at the Compton Center for Justice, said many students fail to consider state law regarding sexual consent when engaging in sexual activity at parties.

"It's more of an issue than any one of us knows," Kloppenburg said. "This is wrong and a lot of the things that are happening on this campus are illegal."

Olivia Thompson, a sophomore from Indianapolis who also spoke under the condition of anonymity, reported her sexual assault case anonymously during her freshman year knowing that the man who violated her had acted in an illegal way. She decided not to pursue the case in university court, however, because she did not want to deal with the emotional impact of seeing him face-to-face.

"I knew that what he did was wrong, but I just couldn't see him again," Thompson said. "I couldn't look at him and not remember what he did to me."

Cara Setchell, associate dean of students, said she wishes that more victims reported their cases and took them to university court, but she understands how difficult that can be. She said in the past three years there have been six cases that have been tried in court. The cases resulted in consequences for perpetrators ranging from suspension to expulsion. Victims can seek legal action separate from DePauw's Sexual Misconduct Board hearings.

Kyle Robbins, a junior and Interfraternity Council executive board member, said he believes most men at DePauw know the state law regarding consent and choose to follow it. He said the Interfraternity Council works to make men in the greek community more aware of the law, but said some continue to construe the law in a way that better suits their desire to hook-up.

"I feel like anyone and everyone should know that that law exists," Robbins said. "Ignorance should be no excuse."

Noble said she shared her story with The DePauw in order to raise awareness about sexual assault on DePauw's campus. She said she decided not to report her case to the university because she did not want to cause the man extensive harm, especially after he apologized.

"Many of my friends were not happy with this decision, but I did not see the point in ruining his life when I knew that he was sorry for what he had done," Noble said.

Kloppenburg said that in many cases, like Noble's, alcohol creates a significant problem.

"When alcohol is involved it is really easy for a bad situation to get much worse," Kloppenburg said. "I would be surprised if not everyone on this campus did not know someone or know of someone who has been personally affected by either relationship or sexual violence."

To publicize the issue of sexual assault on campus, Kloppenburg and Jeanette Johnson-Licon, director of the Women's Center, are working on a campaign financed by a National Department of Justice grant.

Johnson-Licon said the project will address "the elephant in the room."

Herds of small elephant cardboard cutouts will make their way across campus in the coming weeks.

"We try to take this metaphor of the elephant in the room and use that as a catalyst for some conversations about the prevalence of sexualized violence in our communities," Johnson-Licon said.

Other efforts such as a combined project between Feminista and student government to create a white paper pertaining to sexual assault, as well as initiatives from the Women's Center and administrators, shed light on an issue that often remains in the shadows.

Noble continues to share her story with other women who have been affected by sexual violence and strives to make sure that she never leaves a sorority sister or friend behind at a fraternity.

"People want different things and sometimes this is not communicated," Noble said.