Sexual assault is far more prevalent at NIU than records indicate, according to local experts.

Lynda O’Brien, sexual assault and abuse service coordinator for DeKalb’s Ben Gordon Community Mental Health Center, claimed that for every assault case reported, 10 unreported assaults occur.

O’Brien gave a presentation on sexual assault and harassment at the University Resources for Women building on Wednesday.

Judy Skorek, assistant director of University Resources for Women, said she believes sexual assaults happen daily at NIU. She said the peak times of the year are September and March.

O’Brien said she wanted to “clarify myths and facts that people have stuck in their minds.”

She said most victims of sexual assault are women between the ages of 15 to 24. A college campus is a rather dense concentration of that age group, which brings particular concern, O’Brien added.

O’Brien discussed many myths about rape and explained some of the facts. She is an NIU graduate and has been volunteering in her field since 1986.

One key point O’Brien stressed was that rape is an act of violence or a power and control issue.

She said 70 to 80 percent of rapes take place between people who know each other in some way. O’Brien said these relationships may be between classmates or husbands and wives.

O’Brien said another common myth on sexual assault is the proverbial “she asked for it.” She said a popular misconception is that if a woman dresses or acts a certain way they “asked for it.”

“Nobody asks to be raped,” O’Brien said. A major task when dealing with victims of rape is to help them realize that they didn’t do anything that made them deserve it, she said.

O’Brien said she has seen about 60 cases of sexual assault this year in her office alone.

She also stressed the importance of listening to a woman who “cries” rape.

“If you have a friend who says she was assaulted—believe her,” O’Brien said. “No one would go through that kind of humiliation just to get revenge.”

She said most rapes go unreported and that it takes a very brave individual to tell someone about it.

Most rapes that are heard about in the media are not the

typical ones, O’Brien said. She said they usually take place in the home of either the offender or the victim.

“The image of the guy jumping out of the bushes in a ski mask is just not accurate, but those are the ones you’re going to hear about,” she said.

“You’re not going to hear about the poor kid late at night in a dorm room,” she said.

Skorek said there are many agencies at NIU where students can report assaults including the Judicial Office, Health Service and University Police.

She said all cases are completely anonymous and confidential. There is also a crisis line from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. for people who don’t want to call campus police, 758-6655.