Jason Lindo, an economics professor at Texas A&M University, had a hunch about campus sexual assaults at Division I football schools and whether their rates were affected by big-game days. So he and several colleagues scoured 22 years of FBI data, comparing assault reports to local police on game days with those filed on non-game days.

The researchers found a strong link between football game days and an increase in reported rapes by college women ages 17-24. Lindo’s study, released Dec. 28, said sexual assault reports increased 41 percent during home games and 15 percent during away games. If the home team was an underdog that defeated a higher-ranked team, reported rapes went up 57 percent.

Heavy drinking also appears to be a factor in the statistics that showed hundreds of assaults at 128 schools.

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It goes without saying that school administrations must develop strategies to curb overconsumption of alcohol, but they also must educate students about sexual assault and use the study as a guide toward new approaches on game days. Based on a 2010 study on the economic losses associated with crime, the Texas A&M researchers estimate that each Division I-A campus rape carries a social cost of $267,000. The annual cost of these assaults is at least $68 million.

While the price in dollars is steep enough, the damage to individuals from alcohol-related sexual assault is too huge to tolerate. Every college and university, not just those with Division I teams, should consider the research. They know that alcohol combined with sports can be a factor in campus rape, but do they have the courage to confront and do something about the problem?

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