October 13, 2015

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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

M I S S O U R I

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Volume 109, Issue 9 | the-standard.org The Standard/The Standard Sports

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Two more sexual assaults reported on MSU campus By Emily Joshu Staff Reporter @EmilyJoshu

On the afternoon of Oct. 9, Missouri State University Department of Safety and Transportation released crime reports regarding two sexual assault cases on campus. In the first case, a female student claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a male student in his residence hall on campus during the morning of Oct. 9. That afternoon, a different female student reported that she was sexually assaulted by a male student in her residence hall on campus. These are the third and fourth sexual assault cases to be reported this semester. Like the two previous cases, the victims were acquainted with the suspects. These cases are not related. Eight total misconduct cases were reported to the Office of Student Conduct last aca-

demic year. Since these are the third and fourth reported cases within eight weeks, staff and student intervention is a priority. “I’m concerned with any report of sexual assault,” Dr. Thomas Lane, dean of students, said. “Any amount is too many.” From Monday, Oct. 12 until Thursday, Oct. 15, several university faculty members will travel to the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg for training in the Green Dot Prevention Program. This will focus on bystander intervention. “We’ll be looking to implement (the Green Dot Prevention Program) shortly after that training occurs,” Lane said. For students, an informal group called the Title IX Student Task Force focuses on providing awareness about Title IX and sexual assault prevention programming. These cases are both under investigation by the Springfield Police Department.

Bike thefts plague MSU

Bicycles are being reported stolen at a rapid rate on MSU’s campus, with 21 cases having been reported since early September. MSU crime reports show that the bicycles are being stolen from various locations around campus, with most of the thefts happening during the day. The most recent theft was reported on Oct. 7, when a bicycle was stolen outside of Hammons House between 1:10 p.m. and 2:20 p.m., according to the crime report. “Daytime is a good time for bikes to be stolen,” Jay Huff, assistant director of MSU Safety and Transportation, said. “People can blend in easy and hide in plain site. During the daytime, people are in a hurry to get from point A to point B. They’re busy going across campus.” Criminals are stealing bicycles by using bolt cutters to cut cable locks or by detaching the bicycles from their tires via a quickrelease feature found on certain models, according to Huff. Huff said that the thefts aren’t happening only at residence hall racks, but are also happening outside of academic buildings, the Foster Recreation Center and dining facilities. “This makes it difficult to target resources,” Huff said. “If we knew that only a couple of places were being targeted, we

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By Emily Joshu Staff Reporter @EmilyJoshu

The number of sexual offense cases reported on campus spiked last year compared to previous academic years. This was released on Oct. 1, in the Department of Safety and Transportation’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, published online for the public. This is done under federal law, requiring universities to publish their crime statistics and policies on the same day every year. “It’s a consumer information report so that people looking for colleges or attending certain colleges can get a picture of what crime is like on campus and the surrounding areas, and what policies are in place, should crime occur,” Tom Johnson, Director of Safety and Transportation, said. In conjunction with the four sexual assault cases that have been reported this semester, last year’s report dedicates eight pages to defining sexual assault and reporting those assaults. Categories included were sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking and consent. Sexual assault was then divided into forcible sexual offense, non-forcible sexual

offense and nonconsensual sexual contact. Non-forcible sexual offense typically involves the other person being incapacitated by a substance such as drugs or alcohol. “Last academic year, the Office of Student Conduct saw four fondling offenses, one domestic violence offense, two dating violence offenses and one non-forcible sex offense,” Dr. Thomas Lane, dean of students, said. These numbers have increased from the six total offenses that were reported in 2013. In 2012, there were four total offenses reported. Johnson did not believe this was due to an actual increase in offenses. “I like to think that people are feeling comfortable reporting those things,” he said. “They feel they’re going to get the services they need, should something happen. When something happens, action is going to be taken.” Procedures for reporting a sexual offense are then detailed in the security and fire safety report. Sexual offense reports can be made to the Department of Safety and Transportation, residence hall staff, university public safety, the Dean of Students, Springfield Police Department (SPD) or any responsible university employee. “Students have the right and can expect to have incidents of sexual discrimination taken u See ASSAULT, page 8

Students have mixed opinions about the recent renovations on the Welcome Center, Craig Hall and Pummill Hall By Lacey Curtis Staff Reporter @Incurtis318

Now that the summer construction projects around campus have wrapped up for the most part, many students have a lot to say about the end results. The biggest project and the most talked about was the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center, which finished construction just before the start of the fall semester. Briana Jones, junior computer science major, had some harsh criticism for the new building. “The welcome center is strikingly ugly and will only seem uglier with time,” she said. “It’s faddish and clearly going to go out of style. It's also

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Joshu on Sexual Assault: Enough is enough

Kristen Stacy/THE STANDARD

Students have mixed opinions about the recently finished construction projects.

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designed to look best with all the lights on, however, it is mostly going to be viewed and in-use during the day when the outside lights won't be in use.” Jones wasn’t the only one with critiques for the welcome center. Cody Knodel, computer information systems major, said, “I don't really see the value of a $6 million welcome center if academic facilities are dilapidated. Isn't that what we're here for?” Senior professional writing major Jonathan Sims also thinks that the welcome center is without purpose. “It's someone's pet project,” he said, “but it u See CONSTRUCTION, page 8

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In the article titled, “Citizens hold Springfield’s first ‘SlutWalk,’” in last week’s issue of The Standard, it was incorrectly reported that a group called Springfield Skeptics organized the SlutWalk event on Oct. 2. Springfield Skeptics had no connection to the event. Destiny Hodges, an organizer of the event, told a Standard reporter that she and some of the other organizers had previously been involved in Springfield Skeptics, but Springfield Skeptics did not organize the event.

Recent safety report shows an increase in sexual offenses on campus last year

What do students think of completed construction?

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could direct resources there, but when it’s happening all over the place, it dilutes the ability to do some things.” Safety officers and police officers who work on campus have started paying more attention to bicycle racks and monitoring what individuals do, according to Huff. However, with the crimes happening over such a wide distance, this system proves to be difficult. Huff said students can help to curb the rate of bicycle thefts by being observant. Bicycle owners can reduce the chance of their property being stolen by either switching to a U-bolt style lock or by applying two cable locks. Students can also help by reporting all necessary information when submitting a crime report to the Department of Safety and Transportation. “It’s frustrating when we get people who don’t know not only the serial number, but also the manufacturer,” Huff said. “Having the make, model and serial number is very important.” Bicycle owners are encouraged to have their bicycles registered by the university by going to the Safety and Transportation office, located at 636 E. Elm St. Registered bicycles will receive a decal, which helps to have stolen or abandoned bicycles reunited with their rightful owners, according to Huff. The Springfield Police Department was not available for comment.

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By Mike Ursery Staff Reporter @MikeUrsery

Graphic by Emily McTavish

Swim team begins new season


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