Wayne State College students and faculty received an email on Sept. 24 regarding a sexual assault on campus.
All colleges that receive federal funding are required to disclose statistics of campus crime through the Clery Act. The report includes statistics from the previous three years, but the report comes out annually. There are five main categories included in the report: criminal offenses, hate crimes, hazing, Violence Against Women Act violations and arrests, as well as referrals for disciplinary action, which are then broken into subcategories for a more detailed report. The annual security reports for colleges and universities across the United States can be found on the Clery Act website, and the WSC-specific report can be found on the WSC website under the Campus Security tab.
An additional requirement of the Clery Act is warning students of potential dangers on campus in a timely manner. In accordance with the Clery Act, students were notified via email of a sexual assault that took place outside of U.S. Conn Library on Sept. 21 by an unknown perpetrator. The email communication also included Campus Security’s number, suggested that anyone feeling unsafe on campus can be escorted to their destination and provided additional links with resources for students who may be victims of a crime.
Students who are concerned about safety on campus are encouraged to walk in groups and stay in well-lit areas. Hypervigilant students can take additional precautions such as carrying pepper spray or an alarm that emits a high-pitched whistle when activated. These personal protection devices are permitted according to the campus’ weapons policy.
Since the incident, there has not been an increase in calls for Campus Security to escort students. There has been an increase in calls to report suspicious people or suspicious behavior, according to Jason Mrsny, Campus Security’s manager.
“Situational awareness is the biggest thing,” Jay Collier, the Director of College Relations said. “Be aware of your surroundings, be aware of the people around you; and if you feel uncomfortable, do something.”
There are a multitude of resources on and off campus that students can access. If a student is a victim of sexual assault or another violent crime, they have the option to report the incident to the police or through the Title IX office.
“When a student makes a report, proper Title IX procedure has to be followed,” Alicia Dorcey, Title IX Coordinator at WSC, said. “But the first thing we want to do is offer support.”
Students who have experienced a traumatic event are not required to seek any of the provided resources, but the Title IX office can help students. There is no timeline for making a report. There are limitations, however, on what Title IX can do for students. If a student makes a report and the perpetrator of a crime no longer attends school at WSC, the office can still offer support but cannot review the report and take action against the offender in the same manner. The office can also help students struggling to return to normalcy after an event, like inform professors, change living arrangements, and put in place no contact orders if necessary.
Part of the services included in every WSC student’s fees is a health fee, which includes access to counseling services. Students can see someone in person during the counseling offices hours, but there is also an after-hours crisis line. This line is the same number as Campus Security (402-375-7321), and students need to request to be connected to an on-call counselor. There is also the National Domestic Violence Hotline for those needing additional help (800-799-7233).
In addition to in-person counseling, Wayne State is registered with a service known as TAO. TAO is not the same as talking through feelings with someone in person, but the website hosts videos on coping with different scenarios such as a breakup or financial struggles. At the end of each year, counseling staff receives an overview of which TAO videos were accessed the most. The people accessing the services, however, remain anonymous, according to Dorcey. TAO also includes a place to log journal entries. In order to access TAO services, students need to login to the TAO website with their name and WSC-provided email. There is not a place on the WSC website to directly access these services.
Additionally, health fees cover access to student health. A student who has experienced a physical attack has the option to be seen by medical staff. If students need to seek medical attention outside of student health hours, there is the option to visit the Providence Medical Center emergency room or their after-hours walk-in clinic. Providence Medical Center has nurses and emergency medical staff who are trained in providing care to someone who has experienced rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual misconduct. Students can receive an escort from Campus Security to travel alongside them to the hospital but will not provide an escort anywhere else off-campus.
“Students are not required to receive any kind of medical care, but it is an option if that’s something they want or need,” Dorcey said.
Haven House is another resource for people in the Wayne community. According to their website, Haven House is a non-profit organization, which offers intervention and prevention
services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Employees can help provide community members seeking safety with crisis support, emergency shelter, protection order assistance and more. Due to the organization being a non-profit, the services provided by Haven House are free.
“Haven House advocates can be contacted and provide services on the campus if that would help a student in need,” Dorcey said.
The WSC website has a page with immediate action steps in the event sexual misconduct occurs. These actions include removing oneself from the situation, calling a friend or family member, safeguarding evidence and receiving medical assistance. More details on these steps can be found on the school website under sexual misconduct survivor resources.
