Following the attempted sexual assault in Schallenkamp Hall in mid-February, the university sent out an alert warning students to be careful and to send any tips they might have to campus police.
Since then? Nothing.
All students were sent was an immediate warning the morning of the attempt, which notified them there was a possible assailant on campus. While we don’t know if it was another student or an intruder, we do know they were able to enter a campus residence hall in the early morning hours.
Not only is this horrifying for the victim of the attempt, but for students as well. Students were immediately put on alert, but there was no follow-up. No real information about the assailant. No information about the investigation. No reassurance about campus safety and security.
The university is responsible for providing the follow-up, and it’s alarming there hasn’t been one yet, especially when considering students who may have already been through the trauma or dealing with a sexual assault.
One in four female undergraduate students are assaulted in their time at college, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Thirteen percent of all college students experience sexual assault at some point in their college career, according to RAINN.
Unfortunately, these numbers probably don’t even scratch the surface of all sexual assaults, which are severely underreported each year.
According to the Justice Department analysis of violent crime in 2016, nearly eighty percent of rapes go unreported. No matter the reason these go unreported it doesn’t change the fact it still happened and victims are greatly in need of support, including from their university.
Sexual assault is a prevelant issue on college campuses and is probably a greater issue in our ESU community than we can even begin to understand. When the alert came in February, students were put on edge. Is the assailant still on our campus? Are they living in our residential halls?
Even if there is no new information, and even if the investigation is ongoing, the campus deserves to be updated. Being left in silence like this only lets fear grow.
Those needing help or support and reach out to the Student Wellness Center on their website, or they can call 620 341-5222 to schedule an appointment Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The SOS hotline, a community resource for victims, is also available to everyone. SOS can be reached 24 hours a day at 800-625-1295.