When freshman students begin life on a new campus, safety is of the utmost importance. After a while, the feeling of safety becomes interminable and immunity to danger develops. Crime rates are as low as they have ever been, and the belief that "there's no way anything could happen to me" is overwhelming. Walking home at night alone? No problem. This feeling of safety is what every student deserves to feel while at home at his or her school. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and the root of some problems may be the fault of the university.
Campuses do the best they can in university housing to protect students, but sometimes danger occurs out of pure apathy. How many students have let people they didn't know into their locked dorm and then key any floor for them? It's a seemingly innocent act, but without proper student identification, no one should be allowed in the residence halls. The latest statistics available on the UW website reveal that in 2001 in campus residence halls, there were 10 instances of forcible sex offenses, including forcible rape.
Another problem lies in the application process. Almost all schools, including the University of Wisconsin, ask on their applications, "Have you ever been convicted of a serious crime?" The answer is checked off, either "yes" or "no". It then reads, "If yes, please explain." Let's be honest here. What student applying to college is going to check the "yes" box, regardless of his or her history. The "yes" box almost always ensures a rejection letter, so what does a person have to lose by checking "no," especially if no one is checking the validity of the response.
The application question is not sufficient. This situation came to light last year when two murders shook the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The one that reflects campus stupidity occurred May 5, 2004, when Jessica Faulkner, an 18-year-old freshman, was murdered in her dorm room by Curtis Dixon, a 20-year-old freshman.
This was no ordinary murder. After a year of stalking her and with her complaints to the university ignored, on the last day of school, he ended her life. The autopsy report said Jessica was "hit on the back of the head, injected with a possible date-rape drug, sexually assaulted and strangled." After the assault, Dixon apparently stayed in the room until the next morning, when he went to breakfast with dorm friends and told them Jessica was still packing. He was arrested and admitted to the crime.
The scary thing is that he had been dismissed from the Navy and two other UNC schools previous to his attendance at UNC-Wilmington. The Navy lasted 11 days, until he was discharged for homicidal and suicidal tendencies, according to police. The UNC-Charlotte expulsion reflected a problem with fighting. At North Carolina School of the Arts, he was caught handling a knife.
Curtis' actions at UNC-Wilmington could have been prevented if he had checked the "yes" box on the application. More than that, they could have been prevented if the university had done a little research regarding future students. A school official at UNC-Charlotte recommended an immediate and complete psychological assessment of Dixon. Ironically, the reason was because he would not leave alone a female student whom he had been stalking there.
At a school as large as UW-Madison, it is impossible to extinguish all crime. The right to personal safety is one upon which no one can infringe. Research is vital not only with regard to prospective students, but also prospective administrators. Campus safety is a universal affair that students and administrators must cooperate on to ensure protection on all accounts. The latest statistics show that last year on U.S. campuses, there were 35,000 reported crimes that included everything from stealing personal belongings to breaking into cars. Those kinds of things happen, and although it may be upsetting to have something stolen, having objects stolen is superior to having a life stolen.
Joelle Parks ([email protected]) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
