Reports of sexual assault at Minnesota colleges have risen sharply in recent years, lending urgency to a national call to bring down the number of sex offenses that occur on campuses across the country.

The University of Minnesota, which has had two high-profile rape cases this school year, reported 31 percent more sexual assaults in 2012 than in 2008, reflecting the change at colleges across the state. Across Minnesota, the number of reported sex offenses rose from 115 in 2008 to 141 in 2012, according to data supplied by colleges as required under the federal Clery Act. READ MORE

Published in the Star Tribune Feb. 10, 2014