The Department of Public Safety’s September issue of “Safety and You” reports that one in three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.

Only three sexual assaults were reported to DPS in 1997. Two of those assaults were rapes.

Two is “not even remotely close” to the actual number of rapes, said Julie Wooden, co-chairwoman for Week Without Violence and Take Back the Night committees.

Most people think it is not going to happen to them, Wooden said.

Some ISU students agree the statistics are low compared to what actually occurs.

“It makes you feel safe, but it makes you wonder if there’s a lot of people who were too afraid to report it,” said Erin Piper, sophomore in journalism and mass communication, after hearing the DPS report.

According to Iowa law, sexual assault can include, but is not limited to, any unwanted sexual contact achieved by force, threat of force, trickery, coercion or bribery.

It also may include any sexual contact while the victim is in a drug-induced sleep or another state of unconsciousness.

Other statistics defend Wooden’s statement that the number of reported assaults does not represent the number of actual occurrences.

In addition to the two rapes reported, Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS) received 46 calls from ISU students about sexual assaults.

Student Counseling Service assisted 25 clients for primary issues related to rape and sexual assault, and 10 clients for assault and domestic violence.

Margaret Sloss Women’s Center and YWCA programs work to prevent the need for sexual assault counseling.

The programs teach common sense practices, Wooden said, such as staying aware of surroundings and staying in groups.

The Sloss Women’s Center’s sexual assault awareness program teaches how to say “no” without being misunderstood.

All of the programs are about education and communication between men and women, Wooden said.

Although programs are valuable to men and women, the audience is mostly female.

“We’re not getting to the people who are the perpetrators,” Wooden said. “We need to educate and communicate more with men.”

The women’s center also recognizes that need, and has added “Men’s Outreach” to its programs.

It is a “proactive educational component” that focuses on men, said Pamela Thomas, director of the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

“Rape and violence against women is not a women’s issue — it’s a human issue,” Thomas said.