Expressing outrage that a violent sexual assault by an unknown attacker could happen on a campus they consider safe, Northwestern administrators urged students to remain alert in response to Monday night’s Lakefill attack on a female student jogger.
Administrators on Tuesday informed students of the details behind the assault, as a safety alert was posted on the NU Web site and Undergraduate Residential Life produced fliers with a sketch of the attacker for all residence halls and Greek houses.
Alan Cubbage, vice president for university relations, said police presence at the Lakefill will increase in an immediate response to the attack but said he was unsure if increased patrols would be permanent.
Calling NU “an extremely safe place,” Cubbage said students should be reassured by past university statistics. A violent assault outdoors by a stranger has not occurred at NU in at least 15 years, he said.
“The greatest reassurance is the public record,” Cubbage said. “There have been very, very few attacks on persons by apparent strangers on our campus.”
Cubbage said administrators are not likely to impose stricter safety regulations based on one incident.
“It is very difficult to prevent one individual from entering campus,” Cubbage said. “We don’t want to turn campus into an armed camp. Gates and toll booths to enter campus are unlikely and not enforceable.”
Other departments, such as the Sexual Assault Education Program and Residential Life, are planning firesides to teach students how they can reduce the risk of an attack. Jamie Jimenez, coordinator of the Sexual Assault Education Program, said students will benefit from gathering as many safety tips as possible.
“About 98 percent of the time, student-on-student sexual assault on campus takes place in the realm of acquaintance rape,” Jimenez said. “But just because the type of assault that happened Monday night is rare, it doesn’t mean people should stop practicing safety awareness.”
Jimenez urged students to utilize the Escort Service and shuttle bus, to walk only through well-lit areas and to consider taking self-defense classes.
Mary Goldenberg, acting director of Residential Life, encouraged students to take “as many precautions as necessary.”
“Whether it be locking their doors when they fall asleep or leave the room, or deciding not to walk alone at night, students should be aware of their options,” she said.
Goldenberg said Residential Life will offer counseling programs and firesides, and hall staff in each dorm have been encouraged to hold smaller-scale meetings.
Administrators voiced their admiration for the victim, who fought off her attacker.
“People go jogging routinely,” Cubbage said. “She was doing something that thousands of NU students have enjoyed since the Lakefill was built. The student is a very brave person, there is no doubt about that.”
