University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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S 1 ' 'Al IT AR lBA'l'l'EllY ' Forty-eight direct-dial indoor and out- door emergency phones provided an imme diate link to the KUPD dispatcher. ' Elizabeth Phillips, University 911 center director, said they received 291 calls a month during the fall semester.Those num- bers translate to 874 calls a quarter. Though Chris McFall, Pratt junior, wasn't actually a victim, 7 assaults and 32 incidents of battery were reported on campus during 1993. Five accounts of aggravated assaults were reported in 1994. -' - fr-I , 4 - . . ,...,p:-.h A - 'fe W i. A,K4 ' ' ' ' ' ,1 5- ' . A. . - . -X M. L, I , - V.. , .-, V . TA, dx

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Outvvarclly, the University of Kansas campus did not seern threatening, buta fevv assaults and thefts went along way in weakening the CPIIEIREUFC lFE'l'Y IQAPE, ASSAULT, VANDALISM AND THEFT were not common to most KU students. However, violent acts were not unknown to campus either. Regardless if students were victims, some, especially women, felt unsafe at one time or another while on campus. Marci Tishk, Cverland Park jun- ior described an incident that made her fear for her safety. I had parked behind Strong Hall to go to the library with a friend. When we returned, two guys were standing by their car looking at us. We hurried into the car, she said. I felt like they were staring us down, like something was going to hap- pen. Tishk's fears were justifiable, con- sidering one in four college women experience or nearly experience rape before graduating. One in 10 college men is a victim of rape before he graduates. Rape is the least reported crime on the KU campus. One rape was reported to the Lawrence Police De- partment in 1994 , four were reported in that same year at KU. However, the discrepancy may be the result of only two in 10 ac- quaintance rape cases being re- ported. Additionally, only five to 10 percent of all rapes are being re- ported. Sgt. Rose Rozmiarek, director of educational programs for the KU Police Department, said, Police sta- tistics on sexual assault do not show what is really happening on cam- pus. Rachel Lee, graduate assistant, runs the Sexual Assault Preven- tion and Education Program. SAPEP, a program within the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, offers an outreach program to campus living organi- zations. Our primary goal is educating and increasing awareness, Lee said. A lot of BY KATHY DNXEIVIAN - I FELT LIKE THEY WERE SIYXRING US IIDWN- LIKE SUMEIIIING WAS GUING 'Ill llAPPlN. -MARC! 'l'lSIlK, QWEIIIANII PARK .lUNl0ll our program is focused on preven- tion. Eighty to 90 percent of college rape is by an acquain- tance. Education and counseling were not the only weapons against unlawful activity. Forty-eight direct-dial indoor and outdoor emergency phones provided an immediate link to the KUPD dispatcher. Elizabeth Phillips, Univer- sity 911 center director, said, lf you have a problem, Whether it is an emergency or not, if you use the phone someone will respond within two minutes. Initially, the idea was to install phones in a pattern that would keep people within a block of the nearest phone, said Iohn Mullens, KU police department safety and security coordinator. Most phone locations were at areas with high traffic during both day and night. Phillips said that if the person could tell the dispatcher what the problem was, specific help would be sent. If the victim could not talk, a police officer or security guard arrived. Mullens said that the emergency phones can not be turned off once the call button is pressed. The dispatcher must turn Safety continues on page 31,

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it off. The dispatcher can hear everything in the area of the phone. Phillips said they received 291 calls a month during the fall semes- ter. Those numbers translate to 874 calls a quarter. Mullens said, The phones and the lighting help considerably with safety - the individual effort of everyone to be conscious and take precautions is always better than all the lights and phones. Taking measures to avoid being in a dangerous situation is the best way to protect yourself, said Alicia Walters, who feels the most threat- ened when walking alone at night. I use common sense For ex- ample, I don't walk alone at night in secluded places, said Walters, Lenexa freshman. Things like walking alone at night just put you in trouble situations. In potential trouble situations, Tishk has a plan to get away from her attacker. I used to carry mace. My friends still do, but it doesn't really make me feel safe, she said. I just say, 'run like hell. ' An increased awereness of surrounding space can be beneficial in potentially dangerous situations. Though assault, battery and theft are reported, women don't report acquaintance rape for fear of not being believed, Russell said, possibly because it's more personal. Rape may be the most emotional, as well as physical, violation a woman can experience, she said. It was difficult to establish an area on campus where acquain- tance rape most often occured because so few were reported, Rozmiarek said. The same was true for other violent acts. Walters and Tishk believed areas with dark hills and bushes, which could hide an attacker, were the most dangerous. -information contributed by Gina Thornburg. Students walked on campus at night, despite the fact that most assaults took place after sunset. Emergency phones located on campus eased some fears. If the call button was pressed, police assistance arrived within approxi- mately two minutes. Callers did not have to be able to speak. The speakers are set to fairly high levels and the dispatcher can hear what is going on, said Iohn Mullens, KU Police Department Safety and Security Coordi- nator. ts...-