Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Police urge end-of-the-year safety

Following a recent crime string, police are encouraging students to be safe in the last week of the semester.

Three sexual assaults occurred between 1 a.m. Dec. 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5 on West Washington Avenue and Park Street and in the Regent Street area. All three victims were women walking alone or with another person.

The same suspect is expected to be involved in each of the three sexual assaults. The suspect is a described as a Hispanic male, 20 to 30 years old, with dark hair and possible longer bangs in front. He may be a native Spanish speaker.

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In light of the recent assaults, Lt. Eric Holen of the University of Wisconsin Police Department said it is important for students to identify potentially dangerous situations and to remove themselves from those situations, especially because many students spend late nights studying away from home and at libraries.

“Students need to know to trust their instinct and know what’s around them,” Holen said.

According to Holen, there are a number of things students can do to reduce their chances of being victimized. Cell phones are a good way to plan and think ahead, he said. Holen recommends students go to and from study areas with others and stay in well-lit areas.

Holen and Carmen Hotvedt, a University Health Services Violence Prevention Specialist, said students should use the resources available on campus including SAFEride, SAFEwalk and the Madison Metro Transit System.

“Any choice students make is the right choice,” Hotvedt said. “The big thing to convey to students is that they should take whatever measures necessary to protect them and their belongings.”

Despite the many steps students can take to decrease their chance of being victimized, Hotvedt said true crime prevention lies in the hands of the perpetrator. Reporting all sexual assaults is encouraged and students who do are greatly respected, Hotvedt said. She said it can be difficult for some students to report assaults when an acquaintance, family member or someone with whom they are intimate has committed them.

“Many of the messages we send on this campus and in this world about preventing violence are the kind of safety strategies designed to prevent stranger violence,” Hotvedt said. “Those messages do not necessarily prevent [assaults] for those individuals who know their victims.”

UW freshman Natalie LeVander said she feels relatively safe when walking home, but the threat of sexual assault lingers in her mind.

“I never feel completely safe … there’s kind of a lurking feeling of danger that something bad could happen,” LeVander said, adding that she is scared to walk back to her residence hall alone late at night.

UW junior Allie Hesla agreed with LeVander.

“I feel a lot less safe this year than I have other years,” Hesla said. “It seems like there’s been a lot more assaults lately. I usually do stay late at the library and I do feel unsafe walking home.”

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