Earlier this year, a student at UCF was arrested, accused of reaching over a restroom stall in Student Union (the very heart of campus) and recording the person as they used the toilet. A few days after the initial arrest, the same student was arrested again in regards to additional voyeurism charge after investigators found more inappropriate videos on the phone he used for the original crime. A little under two months later, the Orlando Sentinel released a story on a man accused of indecent exposure on campus, after students near the Recreation and Wellness Center witnessed a man inappropriately touching himself. And in an even more shocking case, a student was raped after a fraternity party.
There are just some of the sexually-driven crimes that have plagued the University of Central Florida for years. UCF, like many other universities, has long been plagued by sexual crimes that range from voyeurism to sexual assault. One of the worst years was 2014, where there was a 27.3% increase in rape compared to 2013 (there were 11 cases in 2013, while there were 14 in 2014). While the 2016 Annual Uniform Crime Report released by the UCF Police Department reports a 16.7% decrease in rape compared to 2015, there is still a troubling factor to be considered.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the largest anti-sexual crime advocacy in the United States, found that out of 1000 rape cases, only 310 are reported to authorities. You might wonder why do so many sexual assaults go unreported, and there is a very disgraceful and shocking reason why. In the same RAINN study, they found that after going through the legal system, only 6 of those 1000 rape cases will end in the incarceration of the perpetrator. Only 0.6% of rape perpetrators will face some sort of justice. And this proves true at the campus level.
In 2016, a WFTV Channel 9 investigation into a rape in UCF over the years revealed that after UCF investigated sexual assaults done on campus, none of those investigations ended in a conviction. Within the same investigation, they found that in a third of those cases, the victims were reluctant to cooperate. Indeed, many of those cases involved alcohol and people that the victim knew.
And although less violent, another disturbing trend has been voyeurism on campus. As mentioned earlier, a student was recently caught filming people in the Student Union bathroom. In July of 2016, a student was charged with recording teenage girls in a bathroom at the CFE Arena, and when confronted, ran away until he was tackled down by UCF football player Tristan Payton. The worst spree of voyeurism at UCF, though, came many years ago in 2008 when over 100 voyeur videos were found online, and involved students at UCF and UF. Keep in mind that this was 2008 when less strict laws were in place against voyeurism (in 2012 and 2014, Florida's voyeurism law was revised and expanded to enforce tougher penalties).
So what do these statistics and cases have to do with anything, or with each other? What is the message? It means that in UCF, there exists a problem that is rarely talked about - perverts, and their enabling. Ranging from public masturbation to sexual assault, UCF is facing what seems to be an environment that breeds these sorts of crimes.
In 2015, controversy hit Sigma Nu when a student, who was already accused of rape, was caught chanting obscenities that were pro-rape. Although Sigma Nu was found to be innocent of claims of violating university policy (several Sigma Nu members were seen trying to calm down the student), it still begs the question; why was there someone who had a track record of accusations of sexual crimes still on campus? The student, who is no longer at UCF, had his sexual assault case dismissed by the Florida State Attorney Office.
When I wrote this article, I had in mind a message of trying to get victims to speak up, that are are good resources out there for them, such as UCF Victim Services and Student Legal Services. But as I kept researching into the issue, I found that the issue wasn't with unreported crimes, but with the pervert-friendly environment that was slowly being constructed. It is a national issue that has found its' way into UCF, and is becoming the dirty little secret here at UCF. The fact that few sexual assault cases at UCF have made it beyond an investigation is, by itself, enough to invoke outrage and demand a more intense investigation and treatment of the issues at hand here.
Unreported sexual assaults and confident voyeurism-fanatics may thrive in an environment that shows weakness towards them. Reform is definitely needed to combat this issue before it grows. Reading through this, it may sound like fear-mongering, but I prefer to stir up fear from an article than to see fear stirred up from perverts and rapists on campus. Overreaction must be taken now before it gets to a point where any kind of reaction will be deemed as not enough. With new SGA leadership, we must now focus on a new agenda that must be addressed at UCF. It is an inconvenient truth that must be persecuted with full force, and it would be an unspeakable disgrace to keep it as an oblivious secret.
To reach UCF Victim Services, please reach them at their 24/7 hotline at 407-823-1200
To reach UCF Student Legal Services, please reach them at 407-823-2538
