Jake
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09:42:49 pm on April 18, 2007 | # |
The University of Idaho sent out a Campus Security Alert email Friday, informing the Moscow community that a female student was attacked while walking on “Hello Walk.” The Office of Administrative Affairs states:
At 1:30 a.m. on Friday, April 13, a female University of Idaho student who had been walking alone on the Hello Walk reported being physically grabbed and inappropriately touched. The report was made to the Moscow Police Department, and our Student Affairs team is working with them on the investigation. The white male perpetrator was reportedly more than 6 feet tall, bearded, and wearing a hooded sweatshirt. He reportedly spoke or yelled to the female student before touching her.
If you have any information about this incident, please contact Moscow Police at (208) 882-COPS.
It is advised that anyone walking on campus should walk with a friend, especially during nighttime or in dark areas of campus. Alternatively, you can contact the Moscow Police Department for safe campus transportation. For more information, please visit the University of Idaho Campus Safety web page and the University of Idaho Division of Student Affairs.
In light of the recent events at Virginia Tech, the University of Idaho, and other universities abroad, it has become increasingly clear that a proactive approach to violence prevention is needed. Washington State University, for example, is experimenting with alternative methods for warning students of dangers on the Pullman campus, including installing “a siren and loundspeaker system throughout the Pullman campus” (more information can be found at the WSU Office of the President). Furthermore, WSU has established an Emergency Alert web site in which emergency messages will be posted should such an event occur (see http://www.alert.wsu.edu).
I propose other alternatives, such as making it mandatory for students to provide their cell phone number upon admission to a university so that they may receive emergency text messages. While some students do not have cell phone access, many keep their phones on silent and will be able to access text massages quicker than email alerts. Such security methods that WSU promises need to be implemented on other college campuses, including University of Idaho, and it is the first step in the right direction to prevent the unnecessary deaths of campus violence.