Penn Police recorded seven forcible sex offenses on campus in 2004, though the circumstances of these incidents differed from those of the alleged sexual assault reported early last Friday morning.
Last year's offenses were all classified as "indecent assaults," meaning that a complainant reported that an individual touched a body part in an inappropriate or uncomfortable manner. Friday's incident appears to have been more violent in nature.
No arrests have been made for the 2004 cases, Penn Police Penn-Comm Director Mitch Yanak said.
However, all the cases are still under investigation.
Students and faculty agree that more than seven indecent assaults likely occur at Penn annually but that the vast majority go unreported.
"Most of the time what women do is just ignore that and go on, but they end up feeling very uncomfortable around that person," Associate Director of Penn's Women's Center Gloria Gay said. "Unfortunately, it happens again and again."
Gay said the primary motive for ignoring indecent assault is fear.
"In real life, we would hope that she could turn around and say to the person at that moment, 'that was inappropriate,'" Gay said. "That doesn't happen a lot because if it is their coworker, their colleague, they know that they have to work with them after saying what they said."
College sophomore Michelle Bensignor said she would be reluctant to report an indecent assault, though her decision would ultimately depend on the specific situation.
"Unless there was something major, it is not likely" that she would report it, Bensignor said. "It is not worth the trouble."
Engineering and College freshman Nawal Maalouf said she approached the police once while being verbally assaulted on the street but would only resort to such actions if a situation became out of control.
"It would have to be enough so that I would feel threatened, and I wouldn't be able to handle it myself," Maalouf said.
Both Bensignor and Maalouf said knowing the individual who committed the assault would further deter them from reporting the incident.
"Out at a party, I would probably try to walk away ... especially if it is someone I know, because I wouldn't want to get them in trouble," Maalouf said.
Women may not know what constitutes assault and therefore may not report it, thinking they are overreacting, Gay said.
She said indecent assault is "anything that is humiliating and invasive to the individual ... the obvious is your butt and your breasts and anything like that, but for each woman it is a different touch. Someone could just come by and touch you on the back of your neck, and the neck isn't a sexual part, but who gave them permission to touch you in the first place?"
Gay said she recommends that a victim inform anyone they trust if they think they have been indecently assaulted. She said the first step someone should take if a victim confides in them is to believe the alleged victim and then to direct that person to the appropriate resources.
After an indecent assault is reported, the Special Victims Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department will investigate the claim and aid the victim.
"Special services is willing to work with the victim, accompany the victim to court, help them through the judicial process," Yanak said.
However, Yanak said victims often choose to drop charges. Police investigations for all indecent assault cases continue regardless of whether charges exist.
