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One Sunday morning last February, a

19-year-old Marquette University student tearfully reported to

campus security officers that she had been raped.

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The officers were legally bound to

report that allegation to Milwaukee police. They didn’t. They told

the student they didn’t know whether a crime had been committed

because the alleged encounter began as consensual.

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Result: No charges were

filed.

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In June, Marquette administrators

acknowledged to Chicago Tribune reporters

Ryan 

“list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial;”>Haggerty and

Stacy St. Clair that the university had violated its reporting

obligations for the past 10 years. That is

unconscionable.

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Marquette is the second major Midwestern

university to come under intense public scrutiny for the way it

responds to students’ claims of rape or other sexual attacks. Notre

Dame was blistered by critics for its handling of sexual battery

allegations in the 2010 case of Elizabeth 

“list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial;”>”Lizzy” Seeberg.

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In that case, campus police didn’t

interview the accused until two weeks

after 

“list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial;”>Seeberg reported

the alleged assault to them.

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By that time, she had committed

suicide.

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Both universities now say they’ve

improved the way they deal with such cases. That’s good. The key

point for them, and for every college in America:

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Don’t try to bury allegations of sexual

assault with protocol and process.

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Make sure campus police are well-trained

to stabilize a situation in which a sexual assault is

alleged.

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That includes making sure the alleged

victim gets prompt medical attention and some immediate measure of

security.

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And then make sure campus authorities,

even if they’re sworn police officers, quickly turn over the case

to local police and … get out of the way. The potential for

conflicts of interests are just too great. Let the local criminal

justice system do its job.

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Earlier this summer, a Tribune survey of

six Midwestern universities uncovered some facts that won’t be

reassuring to women reporting to campuses across the country right

now, or to their parents.

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Among the findings: Women who report

sexual violence seldom see their accused attackers arrested and

almost never see them convicted.

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The rates of arrests and convictions for

sexual assault on campus are much lower than those averages for

rape reported in the general population nationally.

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The stats: About one in every four rapes

reported nationally results in an arrest. Of those, about 62

percent bring convictions.

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By comparison, the Tribune’s analysis

found that at those six surveyed universities, law enforcement made

one arrest for every 14 alleged sex crimes of all types reported on

campus; of those, the conviction rate was 33 percent.

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No wonder some college women believe

that university officials and their police forces operate a system

designed to protect the image and reputation of the university

first, not to help municipal or county police aggressively

investigate allegations of sexual crimes.

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Law enforcement and campus officials

respond that student-on-student sexual assault cases are difficult

to pursue. Often alcohol or other drugs are involved and there are

conflicting accounts of whether sexual contact was

consensual.

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Granted, many rape cases are difficult

prosecutions, on campus or off.

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All the more reason for college

officials to quickly hand allegations of rape and other sex crimes

to local authorities, who generally have greater resources and

greater independence to investigate.

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By not reporting sexual assaults to

police, Marquette officials opened themselves to accusations of

trying to keep those attacks out of the public eye, even if that

was not their intent.

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Marquette spokesman

Kate 

“list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial;”>Venne tells

us that the school “is aggressively addressing the issue of

sexual 

“list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial;”>violence.”

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One major change: Marquette policy now

requires campus officials to promptly report all sexual assault

allegations to the Milwaukee police. Smart move.

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Parents sending children to college each

fall pose one question above all others: Will he, or she, be

safe?

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Full transparency about dangers on and

near campus only enhance that safety by helping students understand

what places or situations to avoid.

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The paradox, then, is that when school

officials try to keep campus sexual assaults off the local police

blotter, they ultimately risk the reputations of their institutions

and the safety of their students.

• MCT Campus, Contributor