CrimeOn Monday, September 2, a male undergraduate was sexually harassed by another man at approximately 7:47 a.m. The indecent exposure incident marked the fifth criminal activity during a time span of two weeks at UCR.

Of those crimes, there were two robberies, one sexual battery and one theft of a cell phone on campus. To combat the misdemeanors, the UCPD hosted a “Responding to a Crisis Situation” course on November 4. The one-hour session emphasized the utilization of the “RAIN” acronym (Respond, Assess, Isolate, and Notify), as well as UCR’s Emergency Notification System as a means of general protocol.

Although UCPD was generally satisfied with the turnout of the course, they would like to “present (the) training to all members of the campus community,” says UCPD Lieutenant Jason Day. “Personal safety is always paramount.”

In light of the recent offenses, UCR still ranks among the safest colleges in California. According to colleges.niche.com, an online resource that accounts for factors like its self-determined academics grade, student surveys on overall experience and campus quality, UCR places as the 257th securest campus in a state of 1,164 higher-level institutions.

Despite claims about the campus’ relative safety, there are still difficulties when reporting crimes on college campuses. According to a report conducted by the Justice Department, only about “20 percent of campus sexual assault victims go to the police.” In addition, roughly one in 10 “say they don’t think what happened to them is important enough to bring to the attention of police.”

In light of these recent crimes, Day urges the student body to be forthcoming about any violation that may occur to them. “UCPD is the law enforcement entity with primary jurisdiction to respond to and investigate crime on the UCR campus,” he says. “We always encourage the community to notify us any time they feel a criminal act has occurred or some manner of suspicious circumstances has arisen.”

Day also encourages those who have been sexually violated to consider the many resources on the UCR campus, such as the Title IX Office, the Women’s Resource Center, the Ombudsman’s Office and the Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) Advocate.

The UCPD has yet to release any further information regarding the sexual offense. The next “Responding to a Crisis Situation” Course will be held at the UC Riverside Police Department at 2 p.m. on December 10.