Since the start of the this year, reports of sexual assaults at off-campus locations have been more prevalent than in previous years. On Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, Grand Valley State University students are sharing their concerns for their safety.

This weekend, anonymous social media app Yik Yak was full of comments reminding fellow Lakers to travel in groups and stay safe. Across campus, there’s a sense of worry that wasn’t there before and members of the greater Grand Valley State University community are noticing.

Emails have been sent out to parents, students, staff, faculty and other members of the community to let them know this behavior is not acceptable. There has been a push from the community to find a solution, and as a result, meetings have been arranged with off-campus landlords and town halls have been organized on campus to talk about campus sexual assault.

The large number of reports are definitely a serious and important cause of concern. However, in a way, this can be seen as a reflection of the community GVSU is working to make. In talks with the Grand Valley Police Department, they have maintained that they see this increase in reporting as in increase in trust of the university. This shows that while sexual assault is still a prominent problem on college campuses, GVSU is working on providing enough resources for students to feel comfortable to make these reports.

While no member of the Laker community wants to get another notification of a sexual assault, it should be noted the fact that students are comfortable enough to report these crimes to authorities is a positive sign.

Statistically, one out of every five females are sexually assaulted during their four years at a university. At GVSU, that means more than 3,700 female students are expected to be victims of sexual assault. Of course, females are not the only victims of sexual assault, but the more of those more than 3,000 students we can get to report the crimes committed against them, the better. A perpetrator will never be found if the original crime isn’t reported in the first place.

Sexual assault crimes are never, ever the fault of the survivor. The only people to blame for these acts of violence are the perpetrators. We shouldn’t have to be talking about increasing security forces, we shouldn’t have to be talking about what to do after the instance of a sexual assault and we shouldn’t have to be making arrangements around potential criminal acts.

The goal of the university is to create and maintain an environment that clearly states Lakers do not accept this kind of behavior and that acts of violence will not be tolerated. In the meantime, the Lanthorn commends GVSU officials, student organizations and active community members for making student safety the main focus of the ongoing dialogue in the coming weeks. It is important the university takes every route possible to make sure students are feeling safe and secure in a comfortable learning environment.