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Campus assault numbers rise |
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Thursday, 23 August 2007 |
by EMILY MELTON
Intern News Reporter
Ten
sexual assaults and/or simple physical assaults with a sexual motive
have occurred on the Appalachian State University campus since March of
2007.
According to University Police, the last report of assault was made on Monday around 9:15 p.m. near Plemmons Student Union.
Five of the reports, including the most recent case, are believed to be connected.
In
these cases, the attacker approaches from behind, pulls down the shorts
or pants of the victim and when the victim screams, he runs, according
to the reports.
The attacker has consistently been a white male in his early twenties, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs 150 to 160 pounds.
In the attacks last semester, he wore a dark-colored, hooded shirt.
However, on Monday night, he was seen in a dark shirt, dark shorts, and
a ball cap.
In each of the five reports, a white female who is walking alone has been targeted.
The majority of the assaults have taken place between 8:30 p.m. and
10:30 p.m. near the Belk Library & Information Commons and Plemmons
Student Union.
Police are unsure whether the assaults are initiated by just one man,
or by quite a few men who are conspiring in the attacks. They believe
that the attacker(s) attend Appalachian.
“Depending upon the personality of the individual and the gravity of
the assault, these experiences can be traumatic,” psychology professor
Dr. Jim R. Deni said. “My advice to students is not to walk around
paranoid, but to develop a sense of awareness of the threats that are
presented to them.”
While University Police has been working to obtain more insight on
these attacks, taking steps to ensure prevention of further assault is
the responsibility of Appalachian students.
The police department encourages students to walk in groups, especially
at night. Police also want students to be aware of the blue-light
emergency phones located throughout the campus, which provide them with
a way of getting help as soon as possible.
“We are doing everything we can,” University Police Detective and
Investigator Darrin L. Tolbert said. “The attacker may believe that
these assaults are simply pranks. Instead, this is a serious issue.
Students should never walk alone.”
 Patterson
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Students should also be conscious of their surroundings at all times, whether on or off campus.
They should pay attention to the behavior of both strangers and people they know.
“Many people believe that sexual assault happens because of ‘stranger
danger,’ the idea that strangers are more susceptible to hurt us
because they do not know us,” said Suzette L. Patterson, the Sexual
Assault Prevention Coordinator and the Assistant Director for Gender
Education. “Actually, we’re much more likely to be assaulted by someone
we know.”
Contact the University Police at (828) 262-2150 or Campus Crime
Stoppers at (828) 262-4555 to report any information regarding the
recent assaults.
Visit www.sap.appstate.edu for resources regarding Appalachian’s sexual assault services.
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