Arrests made after two sexual assaults at Southern Illinois University

[September 19, 2014]  (Reuters) - Authorities are investigating two sexual assaults last weekend at the Carbondale campus of Southern Illinois University and have arrested a total of six students in connection with the incidents, the school said on Thursday.

Four 18-year-old students were arrested early last Saturday at Schneider Hall, a campus residence building, for the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old student, said an incident log provided by school spokeswoman Rea Goldsmith.

On Sunday, two students, ages 18 and 20, were arrested at a campus apartment building for an alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old, who was not a student at the school, the log said.

Both victims were treated and released from Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, according to the log.

Goldsmith said she would not comment on the incidents.

Pressure is mounting from lawmakers, activists and students to curb sexual assaults on college campuses and to reform investigations after allegations are made.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five undergraduate women experiences some form of sexual assault.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Eric M. Johnson and Peter Cooney)

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