Three sisters and their mother, four friends, four co-workers, four housemates, four classmates. Four is a group project, a focus group, a group watching TV, a carpool, a study table, a sorority family, a relay, a dinner table.

One in four women will be victims of a sexual assault or will experience an attempted assault according to Nicole Hall, Miami University's coordinator for sexual assault prevention and Women Against Sexual Assault and Violence (WAVES).

But it's not just women.

According to the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) Web site, one in 10 men will be sexually assaulted in his lifetime.

"That's 25 percent of our friends, of our sisters," Hall said. "So if you don't deal with it, I guarantee you, a friend does."

Student standpoints

For Miami students, local and campus police and staff members, sexual assault and rape continues to be problem at Miami.

According to Hall, the university created her position two and a half years ago as a way to

coordinate and centralize sexual assault awareness efforts on campus through programs such as the Women's Center, Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault (MARS) and the office of residence life.

Lt. Ben Spilman of MUPD was a student at Miami before joining MUPD 13 years ago.

"Rape continues to be an issue that raises a lot of concern on campus," Spilman said. "It continues to raise a lot of concern around the community-that much hasn't changed (since I was a student here)."

Senior Robyn Arsham said she is aware of the problem of rape and sexual assault on campus but said she doesn't know if it really concerns Miami University.

"As a student, I think I'm aware of it, but I don't necessarily think it's a problem on this campus," Arsham said.

In 2005, MUPD reported nine forcible sexual offenses on-campus, four in 2006 and six in 2007. With a larger jurisdiction, Oxford Police Department (OPD) reported 10 rape cases in 2005, 15 in 2006, 14 in 2007 and 16 for 2008.

Sgt. Jim Squance of OPD said most of the reported cases of rape he sees are overwhelmingly from students.

Yet Hall said 90 to 95 percent of sexual assault and rape goes unreported. Hall said reasons for not reporting rape can range from fear of the perpetrator, difficulties defining with sexual assault, fear no one will believe the victim, or the victim placing the blame on themself.

Squance said the stigma against women reporting sexual assault and rape keeps the numbers low.

"There's a stigma attached," Squance said.

"Especially if alcohol is involved and they made a bad choice. A lot of victims don't report it because they don't want their parents to find out or don't want their boyfriends to find out if it's with somebody other than their boyfriend… frankly, a lot of them are embarrassed."

Squance said he rarely sees cases of male rape reported to OPD, and rape victims on campus and in Oxford are almost overwhelmingly women.

Senior Maggie Strasbaugh said she can't relate to Hall's statistic of knowing a victim.

"I personally don't know anyone that's been a victim of it," Strasbaugh said. "I mean, you see the campus crime alerts from time to time but it hasn't affected me, I don't think, to a great extent."

Junior Sean Jacobson said he has heard rape is a problem on campus but doesn't think that is indicative of the truth.

"Based on my perception, I don't think it happens real often, and I think it's also a little hard to define when it happens because of the alcohol factor," he said.

On-campus activism and prevention

Megan Jones, sophomore president of WAVES, said it's normal for students to be unaware of the larger problem with sexual assault at Miami.

"I've talked to a few girls that have said, 'Oh it won't happen here, it's Miami.' They feel like it's a safer environment than others (schools)," Jones said.

"And it's sad to say that it's not. It's still a university. There's still a small percentage of men out there who have figured out a way to do this."

Mallory Moore said, as a senior Miami student, if you stay within a comfort zone of good friends, rape and sexual assault shouldn't be problem.

"I feel like here especially because it is a small campus, the people that you're around or the people that you interact with a lot even if it's a place you've never been, you always know someone there so there's always someone kind of watching out for you," Moore said.

Jacobson said Oxford is safer for women than other college settings.

"I think (the small college town) makes it a safer setting in part because we all feel more connected in that sense and we don't have to worry as much about community," Jacobson said. "If we were in the big city, it wouldn't just be college students."

Austin Sweeney, president of MARS, said Miami's college-town atmosphere gives students a false sense of comfort.

"I think because Miami is a college scene and often times people get in situations with people that they know, they think its OK to pursue what they want to pursue without consent," Sweeney said.

Squance said the majority of sexual assaults and rapes reported to OPD are cases of acquaintance rape or a rape case where the victim knows or is familiar with the perpetrator, often leading to questions of consent.

Squance said often it's not hard to get an admission from the perpetrator but clarifying consent makes proceeding forward in the case difficult.

"Many times we have an admission but what we have to sort out is if it was consensual or if it wasn't consensual," he said.

Squance and Hall both said in the majority of rape cases they handle, alcohol is involved.

Hall said the Ohio revised code states if a person is impaired by any drug or alcohol, they legally cannot give sexual consent.

Jones said WAVES' presentations encourage students to not ignore basic safety guidelines-always have a cell phone with you, stay with your friends, avoid isolated situations and stay aware of what you're drinking.

Hall said the commonality of sexual assault and rape makes WAVES maintain a certain sensitivity in any student presentation.

"In any presentation we give, we know that there are victims that we are talking to, maybe victims that haven't told a soul-maybe victims that have gone through the criminal process," Hall said. "We know that there are victims in our audience, and we want to make sure we're talking to them and we're giving them truth."

Sweeney said MARS gives presentations to men in first-year dorms, fraternity pledge classes and first-year men on athletic teams to raise awareness about the problem of rape and sexual assault.

"I tell (audiences) 'Don't pursue something unless you have 110 percent consent,'" Sweeney said. "Take a split second and say, 'Hey, is this ok with you?' The most important thing is that you get consent and make sure you and your partner are on the same page."

Truth and consequences of rape

Like MARS, Hall said one of WAVES' main goals is to bring awareness to a complete definition of consent.

"It has to be a verbal, saying 'Yes, this is something that I want to do,'" Hall said. "It has to be of their own accord, no manipulation, no threats, no 'I'm going to leave you if you don't do this.' No 'I'm going to tell everyone you're a slut if you don't do this' and it has to be a sober yes."

Squance said charges for sexual assault range from sexual imposition to rape. Hall said a rape conviction leads to a 99-year jail sentence. Hall said convictions are rare because of the long trial period and demand for physical evidence.

Jones said she personally feels attached to this issue because of her gender and age.

"I am smack dab in the center of the age range where sexual assault and rape occur (most)," Jones said. "16 to 24 is what it is-I'm 20 years old. I know my friends are in the same age range as I am. So, just as much as I don't want one of my friends to deal with this, I don't want other women on this college campus to deal with it either."