This story was produced by My UP News correspondent Alexandria Bournonville, find the original story here.
The Northern Michigan University Police Department (NMUPD) sent out an urgent alert Wednesday, Feb. 5 about reported sexual assault instances on campus.
The alert said that on Sunday, Feb. 2 NMUPD received a report of a sexual assault that occurred in the Van Antwerp Hall dorm back in January.
A second report of sexual assault involving the same individual was reported today, Wednesday, Feb. 5 through a Campus Security Authority (CSA) report.
According to the CSA report, this individual was involved in an off-campus incident outside of the area in 2022. In all cases, the victim and suspect were in a dating relationship or acquaintances. “The NMU Police Department is actively investigating the on campus incidents at this time,” NMUPD wrote in the release.
The department added a list of information relevant to consent in sexual encounters and facts about sexual assault.
NMUPD reminded all community members of the following information about sexual assault in its release:
- Survivors of a sexual assault are never responsible for the behavior of the suspect nor the harm done to them by the suspect.
- The most common type of sexual assault is not by a stranger but by someone the survivor knows, typically a date or acquaintance.
- If you engage in sexual activity, be sure you understand your partner’s limits, and communicate your own limits clearly.
- If you feel uneasy or sense something is wrong, do what you can to get yourself and those who may be with you out of that situation or call for assistance.
- Be active in supporting a safe and respectful community. If you see others engaging in disrespectful or inappropriate actions, speak up and get involved, or contact someone else to assist.
NMUPD uses the Student Code of Conduct to define consent as:
“knowing, voluntary, and clear permission by word or action, to engage in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. The existence of consent is based on the totality of circumstances, including the context in which the alleged consent occurred. Silence does not necessarily constitute consent and coercion, force, or threat of either party invalidates consent. Consent cannot be given where a person is incapacitated due to drugs or alcohol; or where a person has a disability; or is not of legal age to consent as defined by law. Consent to any one form of sexual activity cannot automatically imply consent to any other forms of sexual activity. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Previous relationships or prior consent cannot imply consent to future sexual acts.”
Depending on the imminent danger someone is in, there are multiple ways to report a sexual assault:
- Emergency 911
- NMU PD 906-227-2151
- Dean of Students Office 906-227-1700
- Title IX Coordinator 906-227-2416
- NMU Health Center 906-227-2355
- NMU Counseling Center 906-227-2980
- Marquette Women’s Center 906-226-6611
