Another rape reported at an NJ college, school turns eye to drinking

A second rape since college campuses reopened for the new semester has been reported in New Jersey.

The most recent incident took place at Ramapo College in Mahwah on Tuesday nigh in a dorm room at the school's Overloook Hall.

According to a message from college president Peter Mercer, a 19-year-old woman reported the incident to Mahwah Police. A suspect, who was also an Overlook Hall resident, "has been identified, interim suspended, and removed from campus. The matter is presently under investigation," according to Mercer's letter.

Mercer noted that "rape is never the fault of the victim. Too many times, though, predators use alcohol as a weapon to overpower victims" and wrote that there was a spike in reports of underage drinking on the Bergen County campus.

As a result, Mercer said, Mahwah Police will be increasing its campus patrols specifically looking for underage drinkers "necessitated out of continued noncompliance by a reckless, relative few."

Over the weekend a Rutgers student reported an incident off campus in New Brunswick according to NBC 4 New York. A man followed the woman into the backyard of her apartment near Richardson and Wyckoff Streets. New Brunswick Police are investigating the incident.

Also: Rutgers University’s Center on Violence Against Women and Children submitted a report to the White House concluding that nearly one in four undergraduate women told researchers that they were victims of some form of sexual violence before they ever set foot on campus.  Another 20 percent of women reported having at least one unwanted sexual contact since they first came to Rutgers' New Brunswick campus.

Sarah McMahon, the lead researcher and the center’s associate director says “These results are a clear signal that education, prevention and victim support programs need to begin long before students enter college.”