Ella Kitchens, Editor-in-Chief
The 2026 Security and Fire Safety Report was released on Sept. 30, including a varying number of sexual assault and harassment cases, a large increase in disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations, and relatively minimal changes in other categories.
Director of Campus Safety David Rose emailed the report to all students, which included information on criminal offenses such as rape, fondling, aggravated assault, burglary, arson, dating violence, and stalking. In addition to these, it tracked offenses such as arrests and disciplinary referrals for weapons law violations, drug abuse violations, and liquor law violations.
In 2025, there were eight cases of rape and three cases of fondling reported on Denison’s campus. Both of these numbers reflected decreases since 2023, with 11 cases of rape and five cases of fondling reported in 2023. There were eight cases of fondling in 2024, reflecting a decrease from both the 2023 and 2024 statistics to the 2025 number. However, there was an increase in reported cases of rape from six in 2024 to eight in 2025. There does not appear to be any overall trend regarding these statistics from the past three years.
There were also overall decreases in cases of dating violence and stalking since 2023. In 2025, there were three cases of dating violence, compared to zero cases in 2024 and five in 2023, and seven cases of stalking, compared to eight in 2024 and nine in 2023.
In the category of arrests and disciplinary referrals for weapons law, drug abuse, and liquor law violations, the numbers for the past three years have remained relatively similar. However, there has been an increase specifically in disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations, with 69 referrals in 2026 compared to 48 in 2023 and 49 in 2024.
Additionally, there was one reported hate crime committed in 2025, compared to zero in both 2023 and 2024.
Another category, hazing, had three reported cases in 2025. Numbers for previous years were not shown on the report.
Another section of the report was dedicated to fire safety. The residence halls recorded zero fires during 2025, and the first safety systems in every hall were up to code. The report’s definition of a fire is “any instance of open flame or other burning in a place not intended to contain the burning or in an uncontrolled manner.”
By emailing Justin Brown and the Title IX Office, students can seek support or request an investigation by the university into Title IX offenses. Students can also report to Campus Safety in person at Level P1 of the Parking Garage or by calling 740-587-6777 (emergency) or 740-587-0810 (dispatch). Campus Safety and Title IX will refer criminal offenses to the Granville Police Department, which can be found at 141 E Broadway or by calling 740-587-1234.