Three weeks, four sexual assaults.

On Aug. 29, the University of Tennessee Police Department released a Safety Notice informing students of a sexual assault that occurred on campus on Aug. 24. Over the course of the next two weeks, three similar alerts would follow.

Although Safety Notices in the past have included reports on potential campus threats, this year is the first to include all sexual assault complaints. In a media release sent on Sept. 10, Chief of Police Troy Lane stated that updates made to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act have emphasized expanding procedures for notifying students and faculty in the event of sexual violence.

These notices also reflect the university’s effort this year to increase awareness of sexual assault in the community.

“The (Clery Act) has always allowed some flexibility in that these Safety Notices (referred to as Timely Warnings in the Clery Act) only had to be issued if we considered the offense to represent a serious and ongoing threat,” Lane said. “In the past, as most often these incidents were reported to us well after, days or weeks, we did not issue these notices because there did not appear to be any immediate or on-going threat.

“This year we made a decision that despite immediate or ongoing threats, we were going to send this information regardless.”

Notices of sexual misconduct on campus have been met with mixed reviews thus far. After the alert sent on Aug. 29, Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee was concerned that the language used placed blame on the victim rather than the assailant.

“They were saying that alcohol can affect your ability to react to personal safety concerns, basically saying you should not get drunk or you might be sexually assaulted,” said Summer Awad, SEAT co-chair and junior in college scholars.

SEAT contacted and met with UTPD following the first alert and discussed the improvement of the wording.

“We’re happier with the emails now, I think there is still a little bit of work to do to catch up with this idea of affirmative consent,” Awad said. “But, it’s really good to see that they’re actually getting this information out there so students are aware that this is a problem in our campus.”

After a complaint is reported with UTPD, they determine whether or not it meets the requirements for a Safety Notice. The formula for determining whether or not a notice is necessary involves evaluating whether or not the complaint is a Clery Act defined crime; where the assault took place and whether it constitutes a serious, on-going threat to the campus.

The time between receiving a complaint and sending out the alert varies, Lane said, and depends on if they can answer the three questions mentioned above. After sufficient details have been gathered, notices are generally written by the public information officer and then edited by Chief Lane or another member of the UTPD administrative staff. Finally, Safety Notices are sent to UT Media Relations for distribution.

Lane said issuance of a Safety Notice could be withheld if authorities believe it could compromise law enforcements’ efforts or the victim’s identity.

The Clery Act defines what details must be included in alerts.

“In any alert, not just sexual assaults, we have to provide as much detail as we can without compromising any possible law enforcement efforts, or inadvertently identifying the victim,” Lane said. “We are also required to include information that would promote safety and aid in the prevention of other similar crimes.”

Safety Notices include safety tips, the definition of consent, a link to the sexualassault.utk.edu page and information on the Clery Act.

“Some students might be nervous,” Lane said, “but the more we explain the need for this, the more comfortable people feel. For every one person I hear from with concerns, I am hearing from two or three others who are happy we are bringing this issue to the forefront.”

Although Lane said students could be interpreting the notices with skepticism, he is confident that others are relieved the issue is finally being publicized.

“I am seeing an increased level of awareness, accountability and considerable thought,” Lane said. “I feel that if one or two people think about an alert, take the time to consider the information and think about their actions, surroundings and perceptions, it is worth it.”

No victim referenced in the Safety Notices this year has chosen to pursue charges against their assailant. This has been a source of confusion for many students on campus who fear repeat assaults in the wake of escaped attackers. However, Awad said it is important to remember that this is rarely the case on college campuses, and she understands why most cases end with a campus complaint.

“It’s not like there’s this campus rapist walking around trying to rape everyone,” Awad said. “It’s acquaintance rape that is the main type of rape that occurs on college campuses, and usually alcohol is involved. So, anytime you’re at a party with someone, your close friend or even your boyfriend or girlfriend and you’ve had too much to drink, if they have sex with you — that is rape.”