USF Creates First Online Assault Reporting System

The University of San Francisco will become one of the first colleges in the nation to try a new online reporting system for victims of sexual assault. The website will launch in the fall for the USF students. It was designed with input from people who've been sexually assaulted and it will potentially help the university crack down on crime. For someone who's been sexually assaulted, reporting it to police can feel like an impossible and traumatizing next step.

The app, called Callisto, allows a victim to privately write up an account of what happened. "It asks trauma informed questions along the way and even when they answer a question, they can click on a button that says, why are we asking this question?" said USF vice provost of student life Peter Novak. The student can then choose to just save the file or send it to the university. The site also has a matching system if the victim knows their attacker. "They can put an identifying telephone number, or name, or email account into the system and if it's matched by somebody else, it automatically goes to the university and we can stop repeat offenders," Noval said.