Boston College reported 25 cases of rape in 2022, according to the University’s Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report, marking an increase from the 16 reported offenses in 2021.
The University published its crime statistics on Friday in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires all colleges that receive federal funding to release an annual public safety report detailing crime on campus and the school’s efforts to improve campus safety by Oct. 1 of each year.
There were no arrests for liquor- or drug-related offenses in 2022, but 783 students received disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations and 112 students received disciplinary referrals for drug law violations.
Other offenses listed in the report include stalking—which decreased from 14 reported offenses in 2021 to 12 in 2022—and fondling—which increased from 11 reported offenses in 2021 to 13 reported offenses in 2022.
The report also listed two cases of aggravated assault, an increase from zero in 2021. There were also three reports each of burglary, motor vehicle theft, domestic violence, and dating violence.
The University reported no arson, murders or manslaughters, robbery, or arrests for weapons law violations in 2022, according to the report.
The public safety report is compiled from BC police logs, reports of campus security authorities, responses from public police agencies, and the database of the Office of the Dean for Student Development and Residential Life, the report said.
The offenses in the report include those that occur on campus, at non-campus properties, and on public property.
According to the report, all 25 reported cases of rape happened on campus.
The report emphasized the safety measures taken in dorm halls and on campus, specifying that residence hall exterior doors are locked 24 hours a day.
“They operate on an electronic card access system and are equipped with mechanisms that secure the door locks upon entering and exiting the residence halls,” the report reads. “The doors are alarmed and wired to the Boston College Police Department, enabling the detection of and response to any propped doors.”
There were six fires in residential halls on campus in 2022—one in Gabelli Hall, one in the Mods, two in the Reservoir Apartments, one in Rubenstein Hall, and one in the Thomas More Apartments. All six reports of fires were due to unintentional cooking accidents, and only one fire left $50 dollars of damage.
The report omitted hate crimes from the 2022 category of the report, which was a typographical error, according to Nora E. Field, BC’s General Counsel.
“There were zero reported hated crimes for 2022,” Field said in an email to The Heights. “In the hate crime section of the report, the years were not updated to 2020, 2021, and 2022, and this typographical error will be fixed.”
The report also detailed the University’s Campus Sexual Violence Response Prevention Program, including anonymous resources for students to report sexual misconduct to.
“Sexual violence or sexual misconduct of any kind is antithetical to the mission of Boston College and the values it espouses and will be responded to accordingly,” the report reads. “The University strives to eliminate sexual misconduct on campus, prevent its occurrence, and address its effects.”
If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault or sexual violence, you can reach out to BCPD at 617-552-4444, the Sexual Assault Network at 617-552-2211, the SANet Care Team at 617-552-8099, and the Office of Student Conduct at 617-552-3470.
Update (10/2/2023, 1:10 p.m.): This article was updated to add the statement from Nora E. Field clarifying the omission of hate crimes from the 2022 category of the report was a typographical error.
