PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Four of five students at New Jersey's William Paterson University have pleaded not guilty to charges they restrained and sexually assaulted a female student in a dorm.

Suspects in sexual assault on the campus of William Paterson University
Suspects in sexual assault on the campus of William Paterson University (ABC 7)
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The five are charged with crimes including conspiracy, criminal restraint and aggravated sexual assault. The alleged attack occurred Nov. 25 on the campus in Wayne.

The four — Jahmel Latimer of Hoboken, Darius Singleton of Jersey City, Garret Collick of Paterson Noah Williams of Camden — pleaded not guilty through their attorneys at a brief proceeding Tuesday. A fifth defendant, Tremaine Scott of Vineland, didn't appear because his attorney wasn't present.

Scott Berkowitz, president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, said nearly every college campus in America is having a problem with sexual assaults, but one of the major reasons why is a new type of activism.

"We're hearing a lot more about cases that are happening, students feeling more emboldened and willing to come forward and to talk about what they've experienced," Berkowitz said. "That's one positive that I think is driving all the attention that's been given right now to fixing this problem."

Statistics produced by RAINN suggest overall sexual violence in the United States has decreased by half over the last 20 years, and so Berkowitz said both males and females on campuses need to understand the severity of a sexual assault.

"This isn't the norm, and this isn't the behavior that your peers find acceptable either," he said.

Bail was lowered for the four from $200,000 to $50,000 by the Passaic County prosecutor's office. The four were being held at the county jail and appeared in court in prison uniforms.

David Matthau contributed to this story.

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