The first Friday of the semester will mean big parties, new people and lots of alcohol for some students tonight.
That can be a recipe for fun — or trouble.
Officials at the Center for Women Students said this weekend's bashes could be hot spots for sexual assaults.
"That first weekend party scene can be just disastrous," said Peggy Lorah, assistant director of the center. "The people most at risk of becoming a victim of sexual assault are female students in the first four to six weeks that they are here."
Many students come to college with an "it can't happen to me" attitude about sexual assault, said Linda LaSalle, community health educator at University Health Services.
"People come to campus not really knowing about sexual assault," she said. "They don't think about it necessarily as a reality."
There are about 100 sexual assaults reported each year, Lorah said. She estimates the actual number is probably about 1,000 because rape is such an underreported crime.
Chris Weaver, detective with the State College Police Department, said many people are hesitant to report crimes to begin with, but because rape is so personal, victims are even less likely to come forward.
While stranger rapes are more often reported, victims are less likely to report the rape to police when the suspect is an acquaintance, Weaver said.
Some sexual assault victims don't report the crimes because of doubts or fears, LaSalle said.
"Women sometimes don't always recognize that what happened was rape or sexual assault," she said.
Even though it's not her fault, the woman might blame herself for what happened or feel uncomfortable taking legal action against her rapist if he is an acquaintance, friend or boyfriend, she said.
Ninety percent of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows, LaSalle said. Lorah said between 70 and 90 percent of sexual assaults involve alcohol, making parties especially dangerous for women, who make up 95 percent of sexual assault victims.
Dwight Smith, a Penn State Police Services supervisor, said partygoers should keep an eye on friends. When at a party, students should also find out new acquaintances' full names, addresses and connections to other friends, he said.
Often after a sexual assault occurs, the victim finds she knows little information to help identify the suspect.
"We have people give false names, nicknames," Smith said.
Even if a woman can identify her rapist, the crime can still be difficult to prosecute, because there are rarely witnesses and evidence may not be collected if the victim does not have a medical exam conducted after the attack, La Salle said.
"A lot of times, it's her word against his," LaSalle said. "It's hard to get a jury conviction if the evidence isn't really strong, because jurors hold many of the same beliefs in myths about rapes and sexual assault."
Even if a woman doesn't intend to file charges or speak to police, she still should seek medical attention within the first 72 hours of the assault so the evidence is available if she changes her mind, Lorah said.
Victims are given sexual assault exams that, besides collecting evidence, also test for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Women can be given emergency contraceptives and antibiotics for possible STD's.
Weaver said victims are often hesitant to come forward because they are worried about the cost of the exam or their parents finding out about the rape through insurance papers.
However, to protect a student's privacy, the university has an arrangement with Centre Community Hospital to foot the bill for the exam and any medical tests.
Transportation to the hospital, whether by taxi or ambulance, is also covered.
These services are also available to male victims of rape.
"Not every university does that," Weaver said. "That's a big bill to take on."
Additional resources for victims include Counseling and Psychological Services Sexual Assault Services (863-0395), University Health Services Women's Health Department (863-2633) and the Women's Resource Center of Centre County (234-5050).
