A RAPE RUMOR'FEVER′ RAISES FEARS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES - HOW TO MAKE A DENIAL STICK? - A College Press Service Roundup Report

Sep 29, 2026

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College Press Service reports that rumors of rape are spreading rapidly on university campuses, often faster than verified crime. After incidents and subsequent denials, campus officials say panic can grow when even true or untrue reports receive heavy attention. Police chiefs describe difficulties in dispelling “rampant rumors,” ambiguous statistics, and challenges to FBI-reported data that may distort comparisons and fuel fear, prompting awareness efforts alongside public unrest.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Index

THE RAPE PANIC SPREADS

'PROGRESSIVE'SCHOOLS FEAR FOR THEIR ACCREDITATION

JIMMY CARTERS FINAL BUDGET

SECOND CLASS POSTAGEPAID AT DENVER,COLORADO smp581Serials ProcessingUniversity Mcrofilas300 North Zeeb RoedAnn Arbor,MI48106 NewspaperPlease Rush Vol.19 No.34 Januay 26,1981 GraphicS "WHeN TIe GoVeRNMENT SAID AGRARIAN ReFORM WOULD MeAN APLOT OFLAND FOR eACH OF US,SOMeHOWI DIDN'T PICTURe THIS." College Press Service A marginis provided on the left-hand side of the copy for editing marks.Word counts are approximate.Body copy is set at amaximum70 spaces per lineNewspaperssubscribing to CPS areentitled to the fulluse of the contents in this packet.Editors are encouraged to edit the copytofitheir needs However.we ask that CPS be credited when credit is due. Index THE RAPE PANIC SPREADS.The rumor of rape is in the air on the nation'scampuses,but campus police report that the fear is spreading faster than thecrime.So far,their denials have fallen on deaf ears.A CPS Roundup Report.1122 words.PG.1 'PROGRESSIVE'SCHOOLS FEAR FOR THEIR ACCREDITATION.Goddard College vows to fightwhat the school calls a "conservative backlash,"and warns similar collegesthe same might be in store for them.720 words.PG.4 JIMMY CARTERS FINAL BUDGET:Proposed reforms in student aid would cost studentsmore,and could raise interest rates on loans to unprecedented levels.What theReagan administration will do is uncertain.429 words.PG.7 # A RAPE RUMOR'FEVER′RAISES FEARS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES POLICE SAY RUMORS ARE RISING FASTER THAN CRIME RATEHOW TO MAKE A DENIAL STICK? A College Press Service Roundup Report (CPS)--Two years ago this month,Theodore Bundy entered the Chi Omega sororityhouse on the campus of Florida State University,sexually assaulted and thenkilled two women,and beat two others who ultimately survived. Since then Bundy has been caught and convicted of the crimes,and life atthe Chi Omega house has assumed a studied calm. More on next page Continued from previous page But the women at Florida State have apparently become one of the few groupsof students this year who are not talking about violence aqainst women on campus.College security officials say that,nationally,rumors and reports of rapeshave seemingly increased at a much faster rate than campus crime itself over thefirst half of the school year. "It's been highly unusual,"says the police chief of a large west coastuniversity.His department got "six or seven"reports a week of rape andsexual assault during October,although "the campus has been as quiet as a churchas far as actual commited crimes of that nature go." "Rape,"says James McGovern of the International Association of Campus LawEnforcement Administrators in Atlanta,"is a relatively infrequent crime oncollege campuses.The incidence of rape and homicides is very low compared toassault,robbery,and burglary." Still,rape is also a "highly emotional"crime,and one "that receives agreat deal of publicity,"he notes.Consequently one reported incident --true or not --can lead to something like panic. For example,a reported sexual assault at a University of Maryland dormin October(the report was later withdrawn)lead not only to a campus-wideRape Awareness Day but to "a spurt"of subsequent rape allegations "throughNovenber,"according to Captain Robert Anderson of the campus police. Anderson said the major problem has been in denying that a rape epidemicwas under way. George Huntington,police chief at Indiana University,agrees that hishardest job of the school year has been dispelling"rampant rumors"of atransvestite knifing and raping women in one campus area,and someone elselurking in the woods behind the Student Union. Though "we've had just three formal reports,down from last year,"Huntington says he's gotten calls from worried parents "from half the statesin the union." At the University of Idaho and the University of Vermont,the activitiesof peeping Toms during the fall semester led to pained denials by campus police,who,when contacted by College Press Service,still weren't sure anyone believedth

FAQs

What issue is driving fear on college campuses according to the report?

The report describes how rumors of rape spread quickly across campuses, creating fear that can outpace actual crime rates.

Why do police denials sometimes fail to calm people?

Officials say the main problem is that people do not believe the denials, and that campus crime statistics are ambiguous, leading to distrust and further rumors.

How does the report explain the relationship between publicity and alleged incidents?

It notes that rape is a highly emotional crime receiving major publicity, so even one reported incident—true or not—can trigger panic and additional allegations.

Sep 29, 2026

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