Rape reports at the University of Utah spiked in 2023, largely due to 150 reports from one victim-survivor

SALT LAKE CITY — The alleged sexual assaults occurred in 2021 and 2022 but were reported later. Federal law requires that the offenses be counted in the calendar year in which they were reported.

Reported rapes at the University of Utah increased nearly sixfold from 2022 to 2023, with a single relationship university officials said was “plagued by a history of coercion and interpersonal violence” accounting for 150 of 175 reports.

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According to the university’s just-released 2023 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, rape reports spiked from 30 in 2022 to 175 the subsequent year.

The victim-survivor told police that the rapes occurred over a seven-month period between 2021 and 2022. Federal law requires that the offenses be counted during the calendar year they were reported.

The student reported “an almost-daily pattern of nonconsensual sex with their ex-partner— both on and off campus,” according to documents provided to the Deseret News in advance of campuswide message sent Thursday morning.

The report to the university community states that the alleged perpetrator stalked the student, following them into campus housing. The victim-survivor reported being threatened physically — sometimes with a gun, the report said.

The annual security report also reflects a sharp increase in dating violence reports, 158 in 2023, compared to four reports each in 2022 and 2021. That figure was also attributed to the abusive relationship, officials said.

University of Utah Chief Safety Officer Keith Squires said the university’s crime statistics tend to “stay fairly consistent.” For instance, there were 25 other rapes reported in 2023, down slightly from 30 reported rapes the previous year, according to the safety report.

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