A new University of Kentucky survey shows a large number of students are reluctant to report violence or sexual assaults to campus authorities.
Diane Follingstad, director of the UK Center for Research on Violence Against Women said there were several compelling reasons why more "unwanted sexual experiences" were not reported to campus authorities.
"Students say most often I wanted to forget about it. I just want to put it away. Another important reason was, it was private. I don't want it to be public. Third was that they felt embarrassment and shame over the incident. Interesting enough, 18% said they didn't want the other person to get into trouble. And what I think is key for UK is that 26% said they did not want to go through the university process."
The campus-wide survey shows more than three-quarters of students feel safe on campus at night, and almost all feel safe during the day.
The report says nearly 5 percent of UK students reported experiences of sexual assault.
Students were asked about "unwanted sexual experiences" in the past year.
Campus leaders released preliminary results of the student survey on Monday in Lexington. The survey is part of UK President Eli Capilouto's initiative to assess student perceptions and experiences regarding violence or harassment at the state's flagship university.
UK says it is at the forefront nationally in undertaking a mandatory campus-wide survey regarding sexual assault and campus safety.