Universities across the country are seeing an increase in reports of on-campus sexual assault and rape, a trend Central isn’t immune to.

In a 2010 survey, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported nearly 80 percent of rape victims are younger than 25 at the time of the crime, with the largest demographic being 18 to 25-year-olds.

These trends have continued as reports of rape and sexual assault among college students are on the rise nationwide.

According to the American Association of Universities, more than 27 percent of female college seniors have experience unwanted sexual contact as of spring 2015.

Central isn’t exempt from this issue with 49 harassment reports and five cases of sexual misconduct in last fall quarter alone.

This quarter has seen 30 reports so far, including anything from domestic violence to stalking.

“Our numbers are a little bit up right now,” said Richard DeShields, associate dean of Student Living. “[But] it still seems pretty proportional.”

Central is currently in the process of revising the student code of conduct to increase the accuracy of these statistics.

“[It’ll be] easier for us to separate these numbers and make them more transparent for people,” DeShields said.

With a large number of incoming students, awareness is becoming a more important part of Central’s arsenal to combat this issue.

“We’re continuing and increasing our outreach,” DeShields said.

There are multiple programs in place to train and inform incoming freshmen and refresher courses for upperclassmen. Faculty and staff also have training sessions throughout the year, all to help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence.

Central has another layer of prevention in the form of emergency blue light phones, located throughout the campus. They provide a direct link to 911 services 24/7 and can be used to track students in distress.

“It’s okay to use them if you think you’re being followed,” DeShields said. “If you’re being pursued, keep running to the next one.”

Students can report any form of violence through the Wellness Center or even on Central’s website.

According to DeShields, whenever a report is made, the violence prevention coordinator will meet with the victim to offer them on-campus resources and services and walk them through the legal system.

Central provides students with multiple services for counseling and health including the Wellness Center and medical clinic.

Through the Wellness Center, Central works with Aspen, a county-wide counseling group, to provide support, resources and information that can help domestic violence or sexual assault survivors.

Kelly Boozer runs Aspen’s domestic violence shelter in Ellensburg and has spent hundreds of hours face-to-face with victims.

“Since I’m a woman, I’ve experienced stuff like sexual violence and that’s something that’s really impacted me as a person,” Boozer said. “I wasn’t able to get a voice for myself and so I’ve always wanted to be able to give that voice to other people.”

The Wellness Center works with Aspen to accommodate specific victim needs. While students go to Aspen for confidential support, Central can provide Aspen with information, according to DeShields.

“Similar to the hospital,” DeShield said. “If a student goes to the hospital, the hospital can’t necessarily share a student’s information, but we provide information to the hospital that they can share with a student.”

While reported cases are on the rise, unreported cases can be just as numerous. Aspen is an advocacy-based counseling services and can provide legal and medical advocacy. But they also don’t have to, students may visit or call only to find support and someone to talk to.

Boozer urges those unreported victims to come and get the help they need.

“There are tons of people out there who don’t have a voice,” Boozer said. “I want to tell those people that they can get help and resources.”