Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jim Moldenhauer / Daily Vidette Photo Editor Sgt. Aaron Woodruff of the Illinois State University Police presented an in-depth look at university crime at an NAACP meeting Thursday evening in the Circus Room of the Bone Student Center.

The Illinois State branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People along with Delta Sigma Theta discussed on-campus safety issues to mark national safety awareness month.

ISU NAACP planned the event in response to the noose found in Dunn-Barton during demolition earlier this month. The discovery of the noose brought safety questions to the minds of many students on campus.

The noose was found in the workspace of a minority worker.

"Imagine coming to your dorm room where you lay your head at night or where you work and an eight-inch noose was hanging there," Mittie Cowan, president of ISU NAACP, said. "How would you feel? Nooses are meant to intimidate and bring fear."

ISU Police Sgt. Aaron Woodruff discussed typical on-campus crimes and what can be done to prevent them. Hate crimes, sexual assault and criminal defacement of property were three main crimes discussed.

"From 2004 to 2006 there was only one report of [a] hate crime on campus. There were none in Normal Police," Woodruff said.

If students feel targeted by hate crimes, they should contact the ISU Police Deptartment, the Diversity and Affirmative Action office or the ISU Diversity Advocacy Unit.

Ideas arose of what students on-campus could do to get involved and stay safe.

"There should be a campus watch, like neighborhood watch. Neighborhood watch has been proven to work," Cowan said. "If we do campus watch I think students would help."

The biggest criminal issue on campus is alcohol consumption. Criminal defacement, hate crimes and sexual assault can be results of alcohol consumption.

"Statistics show females 14-years and up have a one in three chance of becoming a victim of sexual assault," Woodruff said. "Also, 28 percent of survivors of sexual assault consider suicide."

It is important for victims of an assault to go to a safe place and call the police. It is also extremely important to preserve evidence.

"If assaulted save clothes, don't shower. There may be DNA evidence we could use to make the strongest case possible," Woodruff said.

Criminal defacement was also brought up in the presentation, which brought questions of the graffiti mentioning the NIU shootings that took place last school year.

"We do our part to take a look, photograph it, take an ink sample if necessary. For the most part, after we document it, it then needs to be covered up as soon as possible," Woodruff said.

If students take steps to keep themselves safe, campus can become a safer place, according to Cowan.

"We can work on making our voices heard. If we don't do anything about it, it will only get worse," Cowan said.

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