The federal government released guidance on how colleges and high schools should combat sexual assaults Monday afternoon – less than a week after an attempted sexual assault was reported on campus.

Arne Duncan, secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, hosted a conference call from Washington, D.C., that outlined widespread sexual assaults on campuses across the nation. During the conference, Duncan proposed several cures for sexual violence.

Duncan and the Department of Education investigated cases of sexual assault. Duncan said that although he had not heard about the assault here at N.C. State, he and his office would be glad to investigate.

“According to one widely referenced study, one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college,” Duncan said. “Women are not the only victims. About 6 percent of male college students also report being sexually assaulted.”

Sarah Messick, a freshman in political science, said a friend of hers had been sexually assaulted, but Messick said she did not think the friend reported the assault to authorities. Messick declined to comment further on the matter, saying she wanted to protect her friend’s identity.

Messick said one way students can ward off potential assailants is taking preventive measures. For instance, Messick said she prefers not to walk around campus alone.

“I never walk around by myself, because that’s not smart,” Messick said. “I am a cadet in the Air Force ROTC, and we usually have a wingman go with us. It’s like a buddy system.”

Duncan said the guidance report released by the Department of Education is intended to prevent sexual violence by raising awareness of the issue.

“Our guidance discusses proactive efforts schools can take to prevent sexual violence. It provides examples of strategies schools and the Office of Civil Rights are using to help end sexual violence and remedy its effects,” Duncan said.

Messick said there is only so much government can do in preventing sexual violence and assaults.

“It comes to the point where it’s mostly a personal decision what one can do for oneself. I think for the most part, [assaults] are something that can be prevented,” Messick said.

Duncan discussed the fact that sexual assaults occur in high schools as well.

“The problem is not limited to higher education. Recent data show there are nearly 4,000 reports of sexual battery, and over 800 reported rapes and attempted rapes in our nation’s high schools,” Duncan said.

Freshman in mechanical engineering Landon Whetstone said that although he does not know anyone at N.C. State who has been sexually assaulted, his girlfriend was assaulted in a parking lot while in high school.

“My girlfriend got grabbed in a parking lot. She was walking to her car after work. It was in a public place; a shopping center,” Whetstone said.

Whetstone and his girlfriend reported the crime to authorities. He said the perpetrator reportedly repeated the act to “one or two more people,” but was never apprehended.

Tabitha Frahm, a senior in psychology, said that when she received the email regarding the sexual assault, she was surprised.

“I wouldn’t expect [sexual assault] to happen on our campus, but I guess it happens a lot,” Frahm said.

Frahm said she feels safe walking around campus.

“I [feel safe], but it’s probably a false sense of security. I’m usually only here during the daytime, but when I used to have night classes it was scary,” Frahm said.

Frahm said that given the recurring nature of sexual assaults on campuses nationwide, the federal government has the right to step in and try to reduce the frequency of assaults.