A female student reported a sexual assault incident in Watauga Hall to University Police Tuesday. The student said the assault occurred in the early morning hours by a male student known to her.

In sexual assault cases, University Police gets in contact with the suspect and possible witnesses to seek information that might verify what happened as soon as possible.

“Hopefully the suspect will confess, or they might present a different version of the crime,” Chief of Police Jack Moorman said. 

The key in sexual assault cases is to make an arrest, according to Moorman. For a criminal investigation to be conducted, there must be enough evidence to take it to court.

“You’ve got to prove it with a reason beyond reasonable doubt,” Moorman said. “You have to have evidence that indicates that it is fairly likely that the crime was committed.” 

Both the criminal review process and the Student Conduct process can take place simultaneously, or a sexual assault survivor can choose to activate the Student Conduct process without using the criminal review process, according to Paul Cousins, director of the Department of Student and Community Standards. The conduct process is used to determine if a violation occurred. Sanctions are considered only if a student is found responsible.*

University Police consults with the North Carolina’s District Attorney’s office to decide whether or not the report should go to court or to Student Conduct. 

If the case ends up in court, the suspect’s information can be made public. However, if Student Conduct handles the report, the suspect’s identity must remain private because of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations.

Moorman said the decision of whether or not to take the case to court is usually decided within a week.

University Police urges students to report suspicious activity or crimes by calling 911 or 919-515-3000. Survivors of sexual assault can find coping resources at campuspolice.ehps.ncsu.edu/victim-resources. 

*Editor’s Note: The Technician originally reported that sexual assault cases without sufficient evidence for criminal review instead go to Student Conduct. This is incorrect. Both processes can happen simultaneously. The Technician also reported that Student Conduct decides how to penalize the student against whom the accusations are made. This is only the case if the student is found responsible. The Technician regrets the errors.