Two recent assaults on college students have University officials explaining how crime is reported in Sewanee and what residents need to be aware of as they move through our community.
On Sept. 3, Sewanee’s dean of students, Eric Hartman, sent an email message to college students that described two nighttime assaults on female students who were each walking alone on University Avenue.
In his message, Hartman reminded students to “exercise caution, be aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity to the Sewanee Police Department,” as well as providing the contact information for a variety of resources such as the Sewanee Police, the Sexual Assault Crisis Response Team, and the University’s health services and counseling services offices.
Upon learning of this email, some Sewanee residents expressed concern about what had happened and questioned if there was danger to the broader community.
“If this had been an ongoing serious threat to others, we would have alerted the entire community,” Police Chief Marie Eldridge said on Sept. 11. Eldridge encourages all residents to sign up for the alert messaging system [see article on page 6 for details].
“Safety is the responsibility of every individual,” Eldridge reminded residents. “Take your own safety seriously. We can check buildings and patrol the area, but when the police respond, it is most often a reactive response. We need everyone to take responsibility for their own personal safety.”
University Police are continuing to investigate both incidents referred to in Hartman’s email message.
In the first instance, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Aug. 29, a female student was walking on University Avenue near Hoffman Hall when a vehicle pulled up behind her and stopped. A man got out of the vehicle, and with the assistance of another man, picked up the woman and put her in the vehicle. The woman was unharmed physically and was released from the vehicle shortly after being abducted.
In the second instance, in the early morning of Sept. 1, a female student reported that she had been assaulted while walking on University Avenue. The victim reported that a man stopped to talk to her and asked to accompany her to her dorm room. When she refused, the perpetrator grabbed her by the arm and hit her. She escaped and returned safely to her dorm.
Eldridge said there is no reason to believe the two incidents are related, and SPD continues to patrol the campus actively.
“Sewanee is not immune to crime,” Eldridge said. “We all need to be prepared and cautious. No one—college student or community member—should be walking alone late at night. We always encourage students to use the ‘buddy system.’ It is safer than walking alone.”
The University has a notification system in place, Hartman said. The team reviews each situation independently, based on the facts and the timeliness of receiving those facts, he said. The campus notification policy states:
“There are times when students, faculty, staff and the broader Sewanee community need to be notified of a situation. All such situations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Police and dispatchers are authorized to send emergency alerts. Police, dispatchers and designated administrators are authorized to send timely notifications.
“Emergency alerts may be triggered by crimes, as well as such diverse events as severe weather (e.g., an approaching tornado), natural disasters (e.g., an earthquake), outbreak of communicable disease (e.g., meningitis) or an accident inside a campus building (e.g., a lab explosion).
“Timely notifications usually apply to crimes and if an incident presents a continuing safety threat, such as a series of armed robberies taking place in different campus parking lots over several weeks. Other possible incidents could include aggravated assault or arson, to name only a few.”
University Provost John Swallow said that Hartman’s message was part of a national effort led by the federal Office of Civil Rights to ensure that colleges and universities encourage appropriate and correct reporting of specific crimes. —Reported by Laura Willis
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