The University of Southern Mississippi notified students via email of a reported rape on Friday morning.
According to the mass email, the incident allegedly occurred between the hours of 8 p.m and 10 p.m. in Scott Hall on Jan. 18. The University Police Department received report of the incident at 2:25 a.m. Friday morning. A female student told police the incident involved an acquaintance who is not currently a student at USM.
“UPD has determined that there is no current threat to the campus community related to this incident,” the email stated.
USM Chief Communications Officer Jim Coll said UPD is in the very early stages of this investigation and is gathering all the facts as efficiently and thoroughly as possible.
UPD encourages students with information or questions regarding the Jan. 19 incident to contact 601-266-4986
Coll said students have access to multiple avenues to report crimes of this nature, including the Title IX office, which handles sexual misconduct and discrimination.
“In addition to UPD, the Title IX office can be of assistance with incidents of sexual misconduct,” Coll said. “If an individual makes a report of an incident of this nature to the University Police Department, the University Police will notify the Title IX coordinator of the report. If the individual reports first to the Title IX coordinator, the Title IX coordinator will assist the person with making a report to the University Police Department, if he/she chooses to do so.”
If students feel that they have been victims of these types of incidents, they can report these crimes to Title IX coordinator Rebecca Malley, who can be reached at 601-266-6804 or [email protected].
Coll said Student Counseling Services also offers assistance to victims of sexual assault crimes.
“SCS has a weekly support group for sexual assault survivors, and the Shafer Center provides first response and advocacy for students,” Coll said. “During regular business hours, students can reach a counselor on-call at 601-606-HELP(4357). University Police can also access counselor on-call as appropriate.”
