An increase in the number of men reporting sexual assaults is a direct result of the positive work by the Story County Sexual Assault Response Team, Department of Public Safety officials said.

Officials said four of the 62 unofficial cases of sexual assault in 2000 were reported by men. Previously all cases were reported exclusively by women.

DPS Director Loras Jaeger said reports from male victims are simply “part of the larger picture.”

“We know from research that men are victims,” he said. “Sexual assault is traditionally vastly underreported by men and women.”

Jaeger said SART has been “relatively successful at providing services to sexual assault survivors of all types.”

Assault victims are often in need of more than criminal justice, Jaeger said, and SART has coordinated a whole range of services to make traumatic experiences somewhat better for victims.

Chuck Cychosz, manager of crime prevention and research training for DPS, said SART’s coordinated services and support is the reason so many victims are coming forward.

“[SART] works very hard to try and improve service to sexual assault victims,” he said. “By providing quality service, the word spreads and more survivors are willing to come forward.”

As SART services continue to improve, Cychosz said more survivors of both genders will come forward.

“People have confidence in the system,” he said. “Quality service makes it easier for them to step forward after the crime has occurred.”

Ken Ambroson, senior in journalism and mass communication, said he would report a sexual assault, mainly to gain peace of mind.

“If I didn’t report it, it would stay with me,” he said. “It would keep going and going, bug me every day – more so than if I did [report it].”

Jaeger said the willingness of men to report, is a big accomplishment for both the SART program and the Ames community.

“The fact that we’ve had a couple of male reports shows men are willing to come forward and get services,” he said. “As a community, we are closer to the truth. These things are happening to both men and women, and we need to provide services.”

Cychosz also said more men will report sexual assault as people realize both genders can be victims.

“Society has got to get used to the idea that this happens to both men and women,” he said. “As it does, more [men] will come forward.”