Brief chants beginning with “Three rapes, nine days” echoed through Iowa City’s pedestrian mall as a small group of University of Iowa students gathered in protest over recent sexual assaults.

Within nine days of classes resuming, three on-campus sexual assaults have been reported to the Department of Public Safety. ROAR Iowa City, which stands for Radically Organizing Against Rape, coordinated the Thursday night protest, hoping for the University to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault.

After the third sexual assault was reported on Monday, September 1st, University of Iowa President Sally Mason sent out an email to all faculty and students in regards to the issue.

“Keep talking and teaching about it, keep challenging the belief systems that enable it to happen, keep supporting the survivors, and keep taking action that will make meaningful and lasting change,” Mason said in the email. “Together we can bring an end to this crime.”

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