TWO DRAKE STUDENTS were sexually assaulted – one at the 3000 block of Cottage Grove Ave. and the other on the 1200 block of 15th St. Photo: Sarah Andrews

Two female Drake students were reportedly sexually assaulted in two separate incident last Saturday night, according to Des Moines police re­ports.

A first-year student was report­edly assaulted shortly after leaving the Dublin bar at 2307 University Ave.

After a Des Moines police officer made contact with the 18-year-old victim at Mercy West Medical Center, she said another Drake student was the one who sexually assaulted her.

The case report states the victim and two friends went to a party at the Sigma Chi house at 3212 Forest Ave.

“She stated that while she was there, her and her friends had 3-4 hard mixed drinks,” the report states. “She says she noticed the alcohol af­fected her more than usual, and her friends stated they noticed the same effects.”

The students then walked to the Dublin, where the victim started dancing with the unknown, white male suspect. She left the bar with the suspect to go to his apartment on the 3000 block of Cottage Grove Ave.

“(She) stated that when they ar­rived at the suspect’s apartment, he became physical with her by touching her and trying to remove her clothing,” the report states. “He stated sev­eral times to her, ‘You should take off your pants,’ and made numerous comments about wanting to have sex with her.”

The report said she remembers telling the suspect, “No” multiple times, but the suspect eventually removed her clothing. She said she re­membered the suspect putting on a condom, but that she was intoxi­cated enough that she couldn’t remember all of the details.

When she awoke at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, she didn’t have any clothing on. The victim then walked back to her residence hall between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. According to the report, she was accompanied partway by the suspect.

No suspects have been charged yet in this case. The Des Moines Police Department said it is still investigating.

This was one of two sexual assault cases in the Drake community this weekend.

Police arrived at the 1200 block of 15th Street Sunday morning after a Drake student reported she had been sexually assaulted, according to a Des Moines police report.

There, police arrested 39-year-old Des Moines resident Luis Lopez on charges of third-degree sex abuse.

The report stated that the 20-year-old junior was at the Dublin bar and became intoxicated.

“Victim does not remember anything until (Sunday) morning when she awoke inside of the suspect’s vehicle with suspect on top of her,” the report stated.

Lopez was reportedly having sexual intercourse with the victim, who then started screaming, when she awoke. She was able to get out of Lo­pez’s van and summon people who were driving by for assistance.

Lopez left the scene, but returned after police arrived. He was taken into police custody and the victim was taken to the hospital.

Lopez is being held on $10,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 24.

Hans Hanson, director of campus security, said that although he cannot comment on these cases, as they happened off campus, he is working with the dean of students’ office.

Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari’s office distributed a pamphlet on campus in mid-October entitled “Understanding Sexual Assault.” It was placed in residence halls and academic building information stands. In­side, it says, “Sexual assault, perpetrated by a student, is punishable by sanctions up to and including expulsion from the university.”

Bakari said Drake started a committee earlier this year called the Campus Care Advisement Committee that looks into the alcohol prob­lem at the university. This consists of students, faculty and administra­tors who will come up with solutions to high-risk and binge drinking. The committee met Tuesday night.

“It’s going to be a good, comprehensive group of students from across the campus involved in it,” he said. “Our plan is to have something to President Maxwell and the cabinet by spring break.”

For the victims of sexual assault, Bakari said the university makes several resources on and off campus available to the students. The uni­versity also allows students to visit the hospital to meet with an advocate and medical professionals, while also offering services at the counseling center.

“We try to offer as much support as possible,” Bakari said. “We try to let the students know that they should not be concerned about getting in trouble with the university.”

He cited the medical amnesty program the university offers to stu­dents who are involved in situations where their health or well-being is at risk.

In terms of the amount of sexual assault cases the university sees on a semester basis, Bakari said there are, on average, one or two cases reported to his office.

“It’s not that often you get two allegations reported in one weekend,” he said. “So, that is rare for Drake. This normally does not happen.”

He said the university is in the process of organizing meetings with local bar owners. Dolph Pulliam, director of community outreach, will lead the discussions.

With the amount of alcohol violations reported this year, Bakari said the university has to enact the proper changes necessary for the times – including new programming and curriculum.

“It’s a very challenging issue, and even though the university can do all that it possibly can, at some point students have to be on page with them,” Bakari said. “It’s a comprehensive issue that has no easy end.”

He said there are a lot of issues that they must deal with moving on.

“There have always been incidents involving student consumption, but our alcohol incidents are going up,” he said.

In response to the alcohol use in both incidents, President David Maxwell released the following statement Monday afternoon:

“The abuse and misuse of alcohol is the single biggest issue for student affairs in higher education across the country. It is a national epidemic, fueled by the fact that a sizable proportion of high school students self-report that they engage in binge drinking on a regular basis. The biggest concern, of course, is not simply the use of alcohol itself – it is the range of terrible consequences, the damage to people’s lives and to the com­munity that result from excessive and inappropriate consumption.

“At Drake, we make a considerable effort with extensive program­ming to educate our students about responsible and legal drinking. It is important to recognize that we expect our students to be responsible for their own behavior, and we will not be successful in our efforts unless they agree to collaborate with us to address the problems of underage drinking and misuse of alcohol.

“In addition, it is extremely frustrating that the efforts that we make are undermined by lack of cooperation from local bars that do not en­force the laws regarding underage drinking. The solutions to this national epidemic can only be found in a partnership among parents, institutions, the students themselves and the community.

“The incidence of alcohol misuse and related problems is, I believe, lower at Drake than at many institutions, thanks to our efforts and the commitment of our students, but it will continue to be a problem for us as well until all of the stakeholders take responsibility for the issue.”

TWO DRAKE STUDENTS were sexually assaulted – one at the 3000 block of Cottage Grove Ave. and the other on the 1200 block of 15th St. Photo: Sarah Andrews