Girls, beware of predators, even indoors.
The Daily Athenaeum published a story Wednesday, Feb. 2, about a male student entering a West Virginia University female student’s dorm room in Bennett Tower, where he attempted to sexually abuse that female student. The story reported that the female student awoke to a male in her bed with his hand down her pants with his fingers in her crotch.
With incidents like these on campus, girls must realize it is up to them to protect themselves, even if they are in the comforts of their dorm room or apartment. Girls must take precautions to make sure something like this doesn’t happen to them.
Freshman nursing major Lauren Boone said when she heard about this occurrence, she was shocked that it actually happened, especially in a dorm.
“It really scared me,” Boone said. “It made me realize how bad things happen to good people just from forgetting to do something like locking your door.”
She said that she is definitely now more cautious when it comes to keeping herself safe. Boone and her roommate always make sure their door is licked behind them when they enter their dorm room, and they never travel alone, especially at night.
“I think the RA’s and other staff needs to constantly be on the lookout for shady situations,” Boone said. “More cameras should be installed, not only outside, but also in the hallways and lobbies of the dorm itself in order to prevent things like this from happening.”
Just because this incidence occurred in a dorm, doesn’t mean that it can’t happen to female students who live off-campus in apartments or houses. The same preventative measures must still be taken.
Junior speech pathology major Ariel Fink said it’s frightening to think that something like sexual abuse or molestation can take place in a university dorm with all the provisions placed upon the students. Now living on her own off-campus, she said that she takes even more measures to make her roommates and her stay safe from intruders.
“When I lived in the dorm, I was always aware of my surroundings when I walked in and when I was on the elevator, and I always locked my door behind me,” she said. “Now that I live in a house, I do feel safer because I always make sure to lock the doors and windows. I even make sure my car is locked when I go inside.”
Boone said she felt differently – she thinks intruders or predators have must easier access into off- campus housing than university-owned dorms.
“In the dorm after 9:00 p.m., you must swipe your student ID that indicates you live to get past the front desk or you have to get signed in by a resident. Plus, the doors lock automatically when you shut them. However, apartments are not like that,” she said.
Laure Walker, who has been in property management for about 13 years, she that said makes sure the property she manages always has the extra lighting and police patrols to help protect the residents.
“I always advise my residents to keep their doors locked and never open the door to someone they don’t know,” she said.
Female students should also take into account what the place on social networking sites like Facebook and what they say to certain individuals. To protect themselves, girls should never divulge to the public when they are gone from the house or that they are home alone.
As well, girls should always carry mace, have emergency numbers on speed dial and let their roommates know where they are going and when they will return. Situations like sexual abuse are hard to control, but with precautions, they are easier to prevent.