Arrests and referrals related to drugs and alcohol fell last year at Northern Illinois University. That’s according to the Annual Safety and Security Reportreleased Friday.
Universities are required to publish the report as part of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
The latest report features several changes by the federal government regarding how sex offenses are reported. Before, they were classified only as forcible or non-forcible. They are now broken down into several distinct categories.
In 2015, there were 14 reported rape cases on-campus and in the surrounding areas. There were 26 reported instances of “dating violence.”
According to a release from NIU, an increase in reports of dating violence may be due to a change in classifications. The Department of Education recently created a separate category to track violations of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and clarified the definitions of "domestic violence" and "dating violence."
The statistics show one “intimidation” case of a reported hate crime based on sexual orientation.
Overall, drug and alcohol arrests were down from 2014.
The university’s police chief says the new reporting requirements made crime totals slightly higher because each offense must now be tallied in every category for which it is eligible. According to the release, a criminal offense that is also a Violence Against Women Act offense is now logged twice.
