At 3:13 AM on Sunday, January 24th, DU students were awoken to campus safety alerts. *SUSPICIOUS PERSON ON CAMPUS* *FORCIBLE FONDLING* Safety Alerts aren’t uncommon, but they are becoming more frequent. “It’s not really shocking anymore because it happens so often,” lamented junior Conor Cavanor. This 3:00AM incident was the third in seven days. Kevin Archer a professor here at DU also expressed his concern of escalation of events hoping that this is not a trend on the rise. But before security issues can be addressed-what is forcible fondling?
With a lot of misconceptions floating among students on campus, we set out to ask them what forcible fondling meant to them before explaining a technical definition from the Department of Campus Safety. “I guess it is someone trying to inappropriately touch someone else,” commented freshman Denisse Romero. “It sounds kind of funny. They should call it what it is, sexual assault.” It is important to note that forcible fondling is not a random Campus Safety term. It is a term created under the Clery Act which was signed into law in 1990 after the rape and murder of college student Jeanne Clery. The Clery Act defines forcible fondling as “the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification forcibly and/or against that person’s will” (U.S. Department of Education). Nevertheless, the name “forcible fondling” almost degrades the assault at hand-it’s often viewed as a joke around campus.
This pie graph is a poll we took to measure student opinion. We asked, “Should the name “forcible fondling be changed?”. (Note that there is little student body awarness of the origin of the term from the Clery Act of 1990).
Unfortunate name or not, forcible fondling and sexual assault on campus are growing concerns for all DU students. “I’m definitely more paranoid,” shared Amina Bouayad, a freshman. “I’m worried when I walk by myself. [Especially with negative media attention], I know that wearing a hijab makes me more identifiable.” The consensus shared by many students is that the school should be doing more: two forcible fondlings in five days, confusion over whether the suspicious person and forcible fondling alert were the same or separate, an update sent out eight hours later officially giving the all-clear. Professor Kevin Archer shares in this concern, wishing for more information when the immediate alerts are sent out. Campus Safety is; however, holding self-defense classes and on every student’s Canvas there is a new “class” marked Active Shooter Preparedness. But Freshman Abi Olsen, who has taken self-defense classes for eight years brought up a good point. “I think the school should not just educate on preventing, but also on just not to do it. As girls, we’re always told what to do to prevent it, boys are not taught not to do it.” The Department of Campus Safety is working to promote healthy behaviors by “promot[ing] safety tips on our website and at various events around campus each month” states Campus SafetyJohnston, Seargent of Community Partnerships.
Nevertheless, both the students and the school have the same goal: to keep everyone safe. When asked how The Department of Campus Safety was working to address these issues Sergeant James Johnston said, “In addition to the effort to get better street lighting in our surrounding neighborhoods where our community members live, we have increased our patrols around the affected areas where it is still within our jurisdictional boundaries (there’s not much we can do off-campus).” He also suggests that students take different routes on their way to habitual destinations, “Don’t establish a routine that an offender could learn and take advantage of”. These and other tips, such as trusting your gut and being aware of your surroundings by staying off of cell phones and not listening to music, can help students avoid these and other incidents.
So what should one do if they suspect, witness, or experience these forcible fondling events? Sargent Johnston advises calling in potential suspects immediately to the Department of Campus Safety or the denver Police, or interfering to prevent or stop an event if you witness an interaction that has the potential to be a sexual assault event. As the rising women of the 21st century we owe it to ourselves and each other to take action and stand together. Get a group of friends together to go take a self defense class. You might be glad you did.
**The Department of Campus Safety at the University of Denver is staffed 24-hours a day, 365 days a year by dedicated men and women who are passionate about serving the DU community. The Department is internationally accredited by CALEA and is the first private, non-sworn agency to be accredited by this accrediting body. More information about the department as well as a listing of course offerings is available at www.du.edu/campussafety.
Any further questions can be sent to james.m.johnston@du.edu
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, Washington, D.C., 2011.