March 9, 2011
To: Students, faculty, and staff
From: Vice President and Dean of Students Jeff Stocco
Here’s the daily update regarding the two attempted sexual assaults reported on our campus last weekend. St. Peter Chief of Police Matt Peters and Detective and lead investigator Matt Grochow are continuing to receive a number of leads from the Gustavus community, and they are following up on all of them.
Please remember that any suspicious activity should be called in to Campus Safety at 507-933-8888. If you have any information that you feel could be of assistance to the ongoing investigation, please call the St. Peter Police Department at 507-931-1550. Some have also elected to use Gustavus’s anonymous Silent Witness program to share information of concern. You may do this online at: https://gustavus.edu/safety/silentwitness/.
Yesterday’s 5 p.m. forum was attended by approximately 50 people, including students, faculty, and staff. Campus Safety Director Ray Thrower provided an update of steps being taken to enhance campus safety. Associate Dean of Students Deirdre Rosenfeld spoke to us about sexual violence. She emphasized that many people of both genders and all ages and groups are affected, and she dispelled some common myths surrounding sexual crime. Good discussion ensued and several announcements were shared:
-Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Karen Larson will lead free Women’s Self Defense Classes, open to all community members, in Alumni Hall from 5:30 to 6:20 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: March 15 and 22, April 5 and 12, and May 3 and 10.
-Tomorrow (Thursday) night at 9:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel, the Womyn’s Awareness Center (WAC) and Mentoring Men for Lives of Meaning and Making a Difference (M-Pact) are hosting a Take Back the Night event to speak out against sexual assault.
Following yesterday’s forum, I joined a group of senior administrators on a tour of campus to examine and evaluate lighting conditions in frequently traveled areas, looking especially at those brought to our attention by students. Our plan includes enhanced lighting on the walkway north of Lund Center en route to the varsity soccer field and track, as well as the area between the Carlson Administration Building and Old Main. We will add additional lighting for the SafeRide stop at Arbor View Apartments. Further, we made the decision to trim back greenery in several areas on campus.
We hope you will be able to attend today’s forum, which will be held at 5 p.m. in the Heritage Room. Once again, Campus Safety Director Ray Thrower will provide an update, and we will answer questions and facilitate dialogue.
Please continue to take advantage of the individual escort rides available from Campus Safety by calling to request a ride at 507-933-8888. Also please note the locations of SafeRide stops for your convenience:
https://gustavus.edu/safety/documents/SafeRidesmap.pdf.
We hope to see you at the forum today at 5 p.m.