In Colorado and elsewhere, sexual assault peaks on campuses at the beginning of the school year – here’s what students should know

Students starting college or university are often excited – but experts advise understanding risks and recognizing danger when necessary. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

With the start of the new fall semester, students are gearing up for football season, homecoming celebrations and a new round of academic coursework. Yet the first weeks of the fall term are also a time for caution.

The so-called red zone is the period when college students’ risk of being sexually assaulted is highest. According to a 2019 campus climate survey – one of the most recent studies of its size – first-year women are at the highest risk.