A female reported a sexual assault occurred in her residence hall on Saturday, Oct. 24, according to a public safety notice from Auburn University Public Safety.
"The victim reports that, after some consensual kissing and fondling, the assailant had sex with her against her will," the notice reads.
Many students did not receive the email because of a change in security settings, said Susan McCallister, associate director of information and education for Auburn University Public Safety.
"It looks like Microsoft filtered out the message to some people as spam due to new security settings that we were not aware of," McCallister said in an email. "OIT has taken action to prevent this from happening again."
Another email was sent Friday morning, at approximately 5:42 a.m., with the following note:
**The email below was originally sent Wednesday afternoon. It was brought to our attention late yesterday that a number of students may not have received the original email, due to a new Microsoft security setting. The Office of Information Technology was able to troubleshoot and adjust security settings so that this should not happen again. The email is being sent again to those who may not have received it yesterday**
Public Safety reminded students that forcing sexual contact on another person without consent is illegal. It may be a felony, depending on the nature of the contact.
The notice in full:
A female student reports that she was sexually assaulted in her campus residence hall room by an acquaintance on Saturday, October 24. The victim reports that, after some consensual kissing and fondling, the assailant had sex with her against her will.
Statistics about sexual assault on college campuses indicate that nearly 90% of all completed or attempted rapes on campuses are committed by acquaintances. Please remember that:
• Forcing sexual contact on another person without consent is against the law and, depending upon the nature of the contact, may be a felony.
• It is important for everyone involved in a sexual act to give consent to all aspects of the act. Consent means a clear and sober “yes,” given freely. Consent granted for one act does not mean consent for another.
• It is a myth that it can’t happen to you. Sexual assault can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, class, religion, occupation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, educational background, or physical description. Rape is never the victim’s fault.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, you should:
• Preserve evidence. Do not shower or change your clothing.
• Dial 911 for emergency assistance or immediately go to the nearest hospital (in the Auburn area, East Alabama Medical Center located at 2000 Pepperell Parkway in Opelika, Alabama) to get medical care and request a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (“rape kit”).
• Report it. Notification options include:
o Dial 911 (emergencies) or 334-501-3100 to reach the Auburn Police Division. The police are the only entity that can investigate a sexual assault for the means of criminal prosecution. It is important for them to gather evidence as soon as possible.
o Dial 334-844-4794 to report the incident to the Auburn University Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Office receives and investigates official complaints of violations of the university’s Title IX Policy.
o All survivors are encouraged to report the assault, but it is always the survivor’s choice whether or not to do so.
Sexual Assault Survivor Advocates On and Off Campus (24 hours a day)
• Safe Harbor (on campus) – 334-844-7233 or safeharbor@auburn.edu
• Rape Counselors of East Alabama (community) – 334-705-0510
Resource Booklet for Survivors:http://www.auburn.edu/administration/aaeeo/docs/SexualAssaultResources.pdf
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