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Student reports sexual assault on campus

University Police at California State University, Long Beach are investigating a report of a sexual assault at one of the Residential Halls on campus, according to a campus-wide warning released Tuesday.

“We had a report on Monday that a sexual assault had occurred here on campus in one of our residential housing complexes.” said Lt. Richard Goodwin with the CSULB Police Department.

Officials issued a timely warning bulletin informing the campus community that a female student reported being raped by a male acquaintance early Sunday morning.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, in eight out of 10 cases the victim knows the person who sexually assaulted them.

Goodwin of the CSULB University Police said that he was unable to give further details as the case it still under investigation.

Pam Rayburn from the CSULB Women’s and Gender Equity Center said that September and October are the most prominent months in which sexual assaults occur on college campuses.

One in four women will be victims of an attack during their college years, according to a survey conducted by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

In Sept. 2014, California enacted the “Yes Means Yes” law, which defined sexual consent.

“[A] lack of protest or resistance does not men consent…nor does silence mean consent,” the law states. “Affirmative consent means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.”

The timely warning bulletin stated that the victim was “temporarily incapable of giving consent.”

According to CSULB’s crime statistics, 24 students on and around campus reported cases of sexual assault cases between 2009 and 2013. The NSVRC estimates that there are 35 incidents of rape per 1,000 women attending college or university each academic year.

“I felt really uncomfortable when I found out the news…it really does make me question my safety,” said Ariana Carter, a freshman living in the dorms on campus.

University police said that officers are handling the case with the utmost care with respect to the survivor.

“[Freshmen and transfer students] are made aware through our crime prevention program to not get themselves in a position of harms away,” Goodwin said. “It essentially comes down to education.”

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network provides tips on how to increase campus safety, including knowing your resources, stay alert, protecting your drinks, and knowing your limits. Campus resources are also available to help survivors of sexual assault.

In correlation to the “Yes Means Yes” law, the Women’s and Gender Equity Center will be hosting a panel on consent on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the University Student Union Ballroom.

Valerie Osier also contributed to this article.

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