The number of sexual assaults that occurred in Pullman in 2007 depends on who you ask. The number of victims who report crimes against them are so inconsistent there's no real, comprehensive data on how many sexual assaults occur, said Patricia Maarhuis, coordinator of Washington State University's Alcohol and Drug Counseling, Assessment, and Prevention Services. The Pullman Police Department, WSU Student Health, Pullman Regional Hospital and agencies such as Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse all compile separate numbers - none of which include sex crimes that go unreported. "We'd like to change that," Maarhuis said. "We'd like more people to feel comfortable to report." Maarhuis hopes a Thursday forum will reveal how often sexual assaults occur and raise awareness about local services available for victims. She encouraged men and women of all ages to attend the "Sexual Assault Open Forum" at Pullman City Hall. The 7 p.m. event is a cooperative community effort to engage area residents in dialogue about sexual assault - a topic that Maarhuis said is often difficult to broach. "Everyone is affected by sexual assault, whether they have been assaulted or traumatized in some fashion, or if it's a family member," she said. "Sexual assault is a very difficult subject for a community to take on like this ... One can start feeling a whole lot less safe. "We have to understand as a community that we're more vulnerable than we thought." Pullman Police Chief Ted Weatherly said about 24 cases of sexual assault were reported to his office in 2007. He hopes the forum will help victims and the community tackle the issue of sexual assault head-on. "This is a very, very difficult issue, because it is a crime that is so humiliating to the victims that many of them want to stay away from" reporting the crime, he said. "These are issues that need to come to the forefront. The people that are committing these acts need to be brought to justice." According to recent research by WSU Health and Wellness Services, 32 percent of students surveyed indicated they have been touched in an unwanted, sexual manner, which includes forced kissing and fondling. Ten percent of those students reported they have been forced to have sexual intercourse while attending WSU, and 71 percent of them indicated they knew the aggressor. Maarhuis points to the data as proof that sexual assault is a hot topic in Pullman. "It's here. It's in our community. It might be in our schools or residence halls. It may even be in our family," she said. "It creates some dissidence and that can be uncomfortable." The forum will feature panelists to provide information on sexual assault and its consequences. The panel includes Christine Wall, executive director of Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, Anna Nofsinger, an emergency room nurse from Pullman Regional Hospital, Whitman County Deputy Prosecutor Byron Bedirian, and Chris Wurthrich, assistant director at the WSU Office of Student Conduct. Weatherly said it's not often that a community comes together in such a united way about a taboo subject. "I think it's a tribute to the kind of community we are: An educated, caring and quality-of-life community," he said. "I don't know why someone hasn't thought of this before, but we're doing it. We're going for it." IF YOU GO:
n WHAT: "Sexual Assault Open Forum," a community event organized to bring people together to discuss the issue of sexual assault.
n WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday
n WHERE: Council chambers, Pullman City Hall. The forum also can be viewed on local cable channel 13.
n WHO: All people interested in discussing sexual assault in Pullman. Questions will be allowed, or can be sent via e-mail before or during the forum at saquestions@wsu.edu. Hillary Hamm can be reached at (509) 334-6397 ext. 307, or by e-mail at hhamm@dnews.com.
