Students at California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), normally tend to feel safe on campus during the day, but at night there are instances that the female population feels like they are not safe.
“Most of my classes are at night, so when I get out I do feel a little unsafe walking out to my car,” says Brittany Harrison (undeclared major). Some offences that have occurred on campus include domestic violence, motor vehicle theft and fortunately there have been no murders reported on campus.
According to Campussafetymagazine.com, a survey taken by 27 universities, found that 23% of female college students experience sexual assault. Out of the 23% only 5.4% of those who were surveyed were undergraduate males who experienced unwarranted sexual contact.
However, the disparity between males and females is felt at Stan State. A male student, Brayden Ayala, recognizes that being a male is an advantage to feeling safe on campus stating, “Yes, from a guy perspective I do feel like our campus is generally safe.”
A 2016 Annual Security Report showed that there were four rapes on campus, three of them within the dorm premises. This number is not the highest recorded for Stan State because in 2014 there were 7 cases reported of rape, all within dorm premises. However, the report did not clarify if the attacks were experienced by males or females.
University Police Department (UPD) has made services available for female students to feel safe on campus, particularly at night.
“We have shuttles in place for students at night that are walking to their cars, we have LED motion lights that facilities just installed making walkways and dark areas brighter. We also have blue lights throughout campus, and police officers that work 24/7 to provide safety for the students on campus and that reside on campus in the dorms. Officers provide vehicle patrols, Segway patrols, and foot patrols throughout the buildings daily. Officers train yearly for active shooters, firearm training, taser and other certified training to keep our skills up to protect students.”
Although the statistics seem grim, it is important to note that our police department offers a rape defense course called Rape Aggression Defense (RAD). The next RAD sessions are on Oct. 29 and Nov. 2.
