A K LEO T H E
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 to THURSDAY, OCT. 18, 2012 VOLUME 108 ISSUE 22
Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
V O I C E
www.kaleo.org
Student Housing Services address sexual assaults Two recent sexual assault incidents in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s student housing complexes have raised questions about the safety of the university’s dorms and apartments and the ability of current security measures to prevent assaults in student housing. The assaults, which occurred within a week of each other, were both reported to Campus Security three to four days after they were alleged to have happened. In one case, a student claimed to have been assaulted by multiple perpetrators on the evening of Sept. 22 while in a student housing apartment. The other, which occurred in an on-campus residence hall in the early morning hours of Sept. 29, is reported to have involved a non-student perpetrator, according to information released by CS. In both cases, reports were filed with the Honolulu Police Department.
S T U D E N T H O U S I N G SA F E? While sex offenses on UH Mānoa’s campus are not limited to student housing, the majority of such incidents in the last few years have occurred in the dorm and apartment complexes. According to a recent report compiled by CS, 17 out of the 25 forcible sex offenses reported to CS from 2009 to 2011 occurred in the dorms or other residential facilities on campus. Bryson Yee, a sophomore physics major and resident of Frear Hall, said his dorm appears to be a safe, secure place. Citing the use of security cameras in the communal areas of Frear and the building’s key card entry system, Yee explained that the multiple layers of security present do put him at ease.
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At the same time, though, he questioned just how effective these measures are in preventing assaults of any kind. “It’s still not difficult at all for one to simply walk into the building and get to any floor with the help of some courteous strangers,” Yee said. Meghan Higa, a freshman and resident at Hale Aloha ‘Ilima, agreed. The zoology major acknowledged that getting into her dorm is easy for both non-students and students who live in other dorms. Many residents are courteous, she observed, and are likely to hold the door open for those trying to get in. She added that, on some occasions, she has even seen resident advisers managing the front desk at ‘Ilima unlock the door for non-residents. Still, Higa said she feels safe living in her residence hall. “In general, there are lots of people around if something happens … I feel pretty safe,” she explained.
P E O P L E YO U M AY K N OW Associate Director of Housing Nick Sweeton said one factor makes preventing sexual assaults in the dorms particularly challenging. “The vast majority [of sex assaults] are occurring between people who know each other. It’s rare that they occur between strangers,” he said. With the stereotypical “stranger jumping out of the bushes” a true anomaly, Sweeton said there is a limit to how useful traditional security measures in the dorms are in preventing sexual assaults, since the victims themselves are often the ones that bring the would-be perpetrators into the residence halls. Sweeton also maintained that, while assaults such as the two most recent ones may lead some to question the safety of the university’s dorms or
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apartments, students are actually safer living on campus than in privately owned facilities. The owners or residents of off-campus housing complexes are not obligated to report or publicize any assaults that occur on their property, according to Sweeton, who pointed out that CS and Student Housing Services are required to follow up on any report of an assault that they receive, including notifying housing residents and the public. For that reason, he said it sometimes seems “that the issue [assaults] is more prevalent on campus than off.” In preventing those incidents that do occur, though, Sweeton said he believes that the most effective tool is the education of residents, especially with regard to the use of alcohol, something he thinks is a key factor in many sexual assaults. “Students should know their limits, and be around people [they] trust,” he said.
ʻA S S AU LT S A R E P R E V E N TA B L E ʼ Sweeton acknowledged that more information still needs to be gathered about how safe students feel in student housing complexes in order to fully address the concerns of students about issues including the risk of sexual assaults. To that end, he said SHS will be conducting an online assessment for students to complete about how safe they feel living in their dorm or apartment complex. The assessment will be available online from Oct. 28 to Nov. 6. Sweeton said he hopes the survey will allow SHS to direct its future education efforts toward the students who feel the least secure in their housing. “We want to get information. [These] assaults are preventable if certain steps are followed,” he said.
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GAVIN GOTO / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I
A LEX BITTER Staff Writer
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