It started innocently enough.
A female student invited a male student to her room in Residence Hall One to hang out and watch a television show on Netflix.
After a few episodes, the couple began kissing. Then, according to university police, the 20-year-old man began pressing the woman for sex.
As she protested, police said, the man began to remove his shorts and her pants, and then sexually assaulted her.
Three days later, Darren Lasso, a sophomore biology major, was arrested on charges of sexual battery. He was kicked out of school, according to his lawyer, and issued a warning not to trespass on campus. He awaits a pre-trial hearing in Pinellas-Pasco criminal court and, if convicted, faces up to 15 years in prison.
The May 20 incident was the only sexual assault listed in USFSP’s annual fire and safety report, which was released Oct. 1, and the first since three cases were reported in 2011.
Although incidents of reported sexual assault at USFSP have been rare, experts say it has become a major problem on America’s college campuses.
President Barack Obama and a task force he created earlier this year to study ways to protect students from sexual assault cite estimates that one in five women on college campuses will be assaulted while they are students.
Many assaults are never reported to authorities. The victims, experts say, are too embarrassed to come forward – especially if they were intoxicated – or reluctant to testify against their attackers in court proceedings.
At USFSP, administrators and police are “paying heightened attention to the topic of sexual assault,” according to Julie Wong, the regional associate vice chancellor of student affairs.
Over the summer, university police conducted training sessions on handling sexual assault incidents for residence hall advisors, staff and advisors of student groups. In an email to faculty, Susan Toler, the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, encouraged professors to put an explanation of the university’s student sexual harassment and violence policy on Canvas or in their syllabi.
In an email to all students last month, Wong said that USFSP “strives to be a campus that leads the nation in promoting a culture where sexual violence is a rare occurrence and simply not tolerated … We encourage you to report suspicious activity or anything that makes you feel less than safe immediately to university police and campus staff.”
The university also distributed a flyer with information and resources for students who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.
Under Florida law, sexual battery is defined as “oral, anal or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object.”
The law also forbids identification of victims of alleged sexual assault. Before the fall semester, faculty and staff were advised there had been an incident on campus, Wong said. Students were not notified. Unless there are multiple cases of unresolved sexual assault, students are not notified through any emergency alert system, according to David Hendry, the chief of campus police.
Until his dismissal, Lasso was active on campus. He was director of stage acts for the Harborside Activities Board and worked part-time for the Campus Recreation Department and University Student Center. He was nominated for Sophomore Leader of the Year by the university administration’s Department of Student Life and Engagement.
According to court records, he was released from jail after posting $10,000 bail. The Crow’s Nest attempted to reach Lasso at his family’s home in Pinellas Park. He did not respond to a note left there seeking his comment.
His attorney, Bryant R. Camareno, said he and Lasso take the charge “very seriously.”
“Nobody wants a trial,” Camareno said. “There is no question that the victim was victimized. No one will be able to justify what happened. Both myself and Mr. Lasso take her complaint very seriously. I’m sure he wouldn’t want anything like this to happen to one of his loved ones.”
“My ultimate goal is to reach a resolution where the victim will be happy, the state will be happy, and the victim will have a resolution,” Camareno said.
A resident assistant reported the May 20 incident to university police, who then conducted an investigation.
Officers assigned to an investigation must determine if it is within their jurisdiction, said Hendry. All officers are experienced with a variety of cases, including sexual assault.
“Most of our officers come with experience from other agencies,” Hendry said. “Our officers are well-trained in helping victims and providing resources…they’re positioned and here to help.”
Hendry said his 28 years’ experience in law enforcement in Tallahassee prepared him to handle emergency incidents on campus, including sexual assault. In his three years with the criminal investigation department in Tallahassee, he said, he oversaw more than 100 detectives who handled investigations, often involving students.
His officers at USFSP are well equipped to assist distressed victims or witnesses in a criminal incident, he said.
“I think that goes a long way when it comes to meeting the needs of someone who is reporting a crime,” Hendry said. “What we try to do is put in place an environment where the officers are well-trained to make the report and connect the victim with resources, which is beneficial for the legal process.”
According to the university’s residence life coordinator, Deanna Hughes, RAs are instructed to find a safe place for a victim when an incident takes place and ask open-ended questions, but only after verifying that a report will be filed according to the nature of the situation. She credits the training from officers and the skills they provide the RAs.
“Housing does not take any major steps until UPD (police) calls to action,” Hughes said. “We collaborate and have one-on-one meetings to decide what is best for the individual.”
Campus police officers work with residence assistants and faculty in training activities, including a video and slideshow, introducing Title IX, the Clery Act and the Violence Against Women Act, the federal laws that ban discrimination and violence against women.
Hendry said that the campus police department is constantly expanding according to formulas, including student count, staff count and building count.
“We spend a lot of energy on having the most current information,” Hendry said. “We take it straight to orientations and use a multitude of folks. We use a more personalized approach.”
