Four days before classes officially began, the university sent out a campus-wide Public Safety Advisory email after a sexual assault was reported in the 1100 block of West Riverside Avenue.
The email doesn’t disclose whether or not an investigation was requested, nor if the suspect was known to the survivor.
READ MORE: Ball State under federal investigation for mishandling sexual assault claim
In fall 2017, a series of Public Safety Advisory emails were sent over the course of a month, detailing five sexual assaults that were reported on and off campus. The number of assaults prompted President Geoffrey Mearns to release a statement in the following days:
“The issue of sexual misconduct on university campuses is not just a professional matter. For me, and for many of you, it’s also a very personal concern. Three of my four daughters presently live in a residence hall on a university campus, and in January, my son will resume living in a residence hall at the University of Virginia. I have entrusted the safety of my children to the administration, the faculty, and the staff of those institutions. And I expect them to honor that trust,” Mearns said in a statement published on Twitter.
“Here, at Ball State University, we are committed to providing a safe campus for all members of our community. That commitment includes doing all that we can to prevent sexual misconduct.”
On Oct. 17, 2017, three reported sexual assaults occurred in the block of 1100 W. Riverside Ave. The first reported case occurred Sept. 17, 2017, with the second and third occurring over the weekend of Sept. 23, 2017.
When The Ball State Daily News reached out to Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kathy Wolf in October 2017 for specific information on the assaults, Wolf said the only information police would release was included in the emails.
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