Over the past two weeks, there have been four incidents of sexual harassment on our campus. Nov. 5, a middle-aged man entered a girl's bathroom in Anderson Hall and pulled back a shower curtain while a female student was showering. After she screamed, the man quickly left the bathroom. On Wednesday and early Thursday morning, female students on campus were groped by a young man who then fled.
The assaults brought the total to five this year, on a campus that typically averages one to two sexual advances per semester, according to Julie Weber, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs. (The first assault came in August when a man exposed himself to a female student in the garden between Bender Arena and Hughes Hall).
In response, Public Safety released warnings, descriptions of the suspects and increased nightly patrols. All of these measures are designed to heighten awareness about the current situation as well as to make students realize that although we live in a relatively safe corner of D.C. we should never assume that we're immune from danger. In addition to an increase of sexual advances this year, our city has retained its ranking as the murder capital of the nation. Again, while AU students live in one of the safest parts of D.C., it helps to know what we can do to protect ourselves against predators and dangerous situations.
The Eagle would like to remind our fellow students that warnings, blue lights, Public Safety, emergency numbers and self-defense classes exist to protect students and make them aware of the occasional menace on campus. We would also like to commend Public Safety for all of its hard work and commitment to making the campus a safe place. We also would like to offer two suggestions for improving safety on campus: more lights and more lights.
When it's late at night and a student has to walk across campus, one thing that is noticeable is the lack of illumination on the Quad, gardens and residence halls. The lighting is inadequate and it leaves too many dark spaces that a predator could use to hide or obscure clues about his or her features. The University needs to take serious measures to make sure that students aren't scared to make the occasional trip across campus.
The campus would also benefit from more blue lights. At present, the blue lights are limited and in odd places. On other campuses, there is a rule that blue lights must be visible to other blue lights and placed in close proximity to one another. This way, if an assault is taking place or has already taken place, the emergency number will not be far away. The Eagle realizes that more illumination and blue lights will cost extra money, but we feel that this is a worthwhile investment to provide additional safety, even while there are still other measures for students to take.
When a student is traveling at night, it is conducive to always be aware of the environment around him or her, even when traveling in a familiar spot. Ideally, it is best to travel with a group of friends, but naturally, that's not always possible. Instead, students should carry a cell phone, something that could be used in self-defense (mace, self-defense stick) and a sense of awareness. Also, students should refrain from talking on a cell phone while walking late at night because it limits one's sense of awareness and also draws attention. Females should also consider not wearing ponytails and distinctly womanly clothing. All of these measures will reduce the chance of unwanted advances, or worse.
It is unfortunate that students must take extra measures to protect themselves, but it's better than risking safety.
