WILMINGTON — UNCW’s annual report on crime statistics was presented to the university’s board of trustees Thursday revealing instances of sexual assault had a spike for the second year in a row.
The annual security report is released annually in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The report compiles data from the past three years.
In 2025, the total number of reported rapes was 17 — up from 14 in 2024 and 12 in 2023. In 2025 and 2024, 24 of the 31 reported rapes occurred in student housing. The rest occurred on campus property — aside from one off campus rape in 2024.
READ MORE: On-campus rape down, stalking and dating violence up last year at UNCW
When asked what may have contributed to the increase, UNCW’s University Police Department Chief Frank Brinkley said he hopes it is due to increased partnerships with the university’s Campus Advocacy Resources and Education Center and the Title IX office.
“We’re hoping that more aren’t occurring and it’s more just that the trust is growing, and [students] they’re feeling more comfortable reporting to us,” Brinkley said.
He added in all campus rape reports he is aware of, the perpetrator was someone the victim knew.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network reported 76% of all recorded rapes are perpetrated by someone already known by the victim. Additionally, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center says one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college compared to one in 16 men.
According to Director of Title IX and Clery Compliance Ronette Sutton, the numbers reported during Thursday’s presentation are only the ones reported to the Title IX office and do not reflect if there was an investigation, hearing or further action.
“The vast majority of these students are not going to take this to police for investigation,” Sutton said.
Brinkley stressed that a student reporting an incident of rape to the university police does not mean the student is agreeing to an investigation.
“It’s not something that they tell the police, and it’s a situation suddenly out of their control,” Brinkley said. “We want to be able to support them now, or if they decide right now they don’t want to investigate, they don’t want to go before prosecution. But the time we need to collect that evidence is now and then. If we want to prosecute later, we can do that.”
Recently, the department invested in what Brinkley called a “soft interview room” to create a more supportive environment for survivors of sexual assault. The room is meant to be less formal — with a couch and fridge for snacks and drinks — moving away from the traditional conference room typically used in police interviews.
“What you see on TV and other shows and media — you might see a stark interviewing room, blank walls, a table and a chair, that kind of thing,” Brinkley said. “This room is set up more for comfort.”
Along with rape, instances of fondling — defined as touching private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without consent — rose from zero in 2023 and three in 2024 to five in 2025.
The total number of reported cases of dating violence remained steady with 17 in both 2024 and 2025. However, in 2025 12 instances occurred in student housing whereas in 2024 the number was 14.
In contrast to sexual assault and dating violence, reported cases of stalking dropped, going from 24 in 2024 to 15 in 2025. Stalking cases reported to UNCW have varied greatly throughout the years as 29 instances were reported in 2021, six in 2022 and 12 in 2023.
RAINN reported 31% of women who were stalked by a current or former husband or live-in partner were also sexually assaulted by that same partner.
“When we’re talking about sexual violence, it’s not just how to avoid, but also how to help, be a bystander and activism in order to prevent what’s happening,” Sutton said.
All first year students are required to do an online training module about interpersonal violence prevention and consent training.
“They [survivors of sexual assault] don’t ask for these situations to happen to them but of course, just like anything else, there’s safety education we can provide,” Brinkley said.
The police department partners with campus to provide Rape Aggression Defense training two to three times a semester according to Brinkley— the event is typically waitlisted.
“We have more students interested in attending them than we can usually provide for,” Brinkley said, adding this year the police department sent more of their personnel to the instructor training. “Hopefully we can make some more classes and keep that going.”
For students who have been through a sexual assault, abuse or stalking campus resources are available. UNCW CARE office has a 24/7 crisis hotline that connects students directly with a confidential advocate. Advocates can be reached here: 910-512-4821.
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