UW–Madison Police Department

UWPD Investigating Sexual Assault

  • Incident type: Sexual Assault
  • Location/address: UW-Madison Residence Hall

Early Monday, July 24, 2017, a sexual assault was reported to the UW-Madison Police Department and is currently under investigation by UWPD. The assault occurred in a campus residence hall and the victim and suspect are known to each other.

UW-Madison prohibits sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. These crimes will not be tolerated on campus and are a violation of Wisconsin law as well as the student code of conduct. Violence and the fear of violence can disrupt the working and learning processes of the UW-Madison community. The effects of such violence are costly, not only to individual victims, but also to the campus as a whole: fear replaces safety, doubt replaces confidence, and distraction replaces concentration. UW-Madison proactively addresses sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.

Sexual assault is never the fault of the victim. While nothing is failsafe, here are some suggestions everyone should consider:

  • Make sure you have consent. Consent is a clear and freely given yes, not the absence of a no.
  • Don’t make assumptions about consent –it is your responsibility to obtain clear and unambiguous consent before continuing with sexual activity.
  • If you’ve been sexually assaulted, tell someone – there are resources available to help you.
  • 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.
  • If you’re a bystander and see someone behaving in a way that seems suspicious, step in and do something about it. If you don’t feel comfortable or safe confronting them, call 911.

Please visit http://uwpd.wisc.edu/tellus and http://evoc.wisc.edu for more information about preventing sexual violence. See http://uwpd.wisc.edu/crime-data/clery-act/ for more information about Clery Act implementation at UW-Madison. For answers to frequently asked questions about Crime Warnings, see http://uwpd.wisc.edu/crime-warning-faq/.