Students browsing through the Iowa State Daily on Friday may have found a shocking advertisement on page six.

It read: On Friday, September 6, 1996, a student saw the following statement written on the sidewalk, “I was raped here and nobody helped me.”

The Iowa State University Task Force took action to make the ISU community aware of its available resources after officials saw that message on the sidewalk. The task force published the half-page advertisement in the Daily and provided a listing of resources for help.

The validity of the sidewalk message and its campus location weren’t immediately known.

Though there are many university and off-campus agencies that offer assistance to victims of sexual assault, most never report the crime to authorities.

Officials say the crimes aren’t reported for a variety of reasons. Maybe they do not think anyone can help. Maybe they feel scared or ashamed. Maybe they do not want to face their perpetrator ever again.

Robyn, an intern at the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS), said she believes victims are hesitant to report their cases because “of the way the media treats them as the person who was in the wrong. They victimize the victims.”

“I think in general, it is because the stereotypes people have about the victims,” she said. “They think they deserve it because of the way they dress, or that they deserved to be beaten because they stayed with their significant other.”

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A study of the media’s influence

Richard Haws, associate professor of journalism, is doing research on newspapers that publish the names of sexual assault victims. He said that in the United States, “less than a half-dozen” newspapers publish the identity of victims.

Included is a paper in the state of Washington, another in Connecticut, the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina and Ames’ own Daily Tribune.

Haws did a study of 18 rape victims whose names were published in the Winston-Salem Journal. He said that because so few names have been published, this is the most comprehensive study at this time.

Fifteen of the 18 women were unaware of the Journal’s 25-year-old policy before filing a criminal report.

According to the study, three women who knew their names would be published were apprehensive about making the report.

If the women had been given the choice, the study found, only one of the 18 would have allowed her name to appear in the Journal. Thirteen in the study reported an increase in embarrassment and shame, and 10 felt as if they were more to blame for the rape after their names appeared in the Journal.

According to the study, the managing editor of the Journal, Carl Crothers, said the policy is aimed at wiping out the stereotype of rape victims. He said it is also done “to provide balance.”

Haws said the complete Winston-Salem study will appear in the American Journalism Review in the near future.

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Local opinions

Michael Gartner, editor of Tribune, said he publishes the names of victims in the “interest of fairness and thoroughness.”

“If you publish the name of the accused then you should publish the name of the accuser,” Gartner said.

He said often times the charges are dropped, and the accused has to go through life with that label. From a journalistic standpoint, he said, “names are very important to a story.”

The Tribune obtains its information about sexual assault cases from city police and county records. “The county attorney tries to hide the names as well as she can,” Gartner said.

Mary Richards, Story County attorney, said she has written Gartner to tell him that those names are legitimately confidential. She said police report time, date, the specific location and the immediate facts and circumstances.

“I believe now, nationally, there has been gathered information that shows a major reason for failure to report sexual assault is a victims’ concern that their name will appear in publications,” Richards said.

But Gartner said there have been no studies anywhere in the country that support that.

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Where to seek help

Local victims of sexual assault have options when deciding where to seek help and where to report cases of sexual assault.

ACCESS has a 24-hour crisis line. During the 1995-96 academic year, ACCESS received 171 calls from alleged victims of sexual assault at ISU. Of the calls made, 99 victims reported battery, 59 reported rape and 13 reported other assaults.

ACCESS also offers shelter, children’s programs and a support group for sexual assault victims.

The Student Counseling Service is available to anyone who needs help from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Margaret Sloss Women’s Center can provide victims with programming, information and referral.

Claire Anderson, secretary at the Sloss Women’s Center, said the center does sexual assault programs at residence halls, fraternities and sororities. “We are always available to do programming and provide that kind of education,” she said.

Another resource for victims is the Department of Public Safety. DPS can let the victims know what their options are. Anonymous reports can be filed at the DPS as well.

The Dean of Students Office can be contacted if the offender is a university student. If the case goes to trial in the campus court system, the All-University Judiciary hearing will remain confidential unless the offender wishes it to be public.

For free and confidential rape kits and exams, the Mary Greeley Medical Center and Student Health Center provide care.

The ACCESS crisis line is 232-2303. The Sloss Women’s Center can be reached at 294-4154.