Helping hands | Graphic by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian
With recent sexual assault crimes on campus, Wright State University staff share resources to help victims and provide education.
Sexual assault on college campuses
Since Sept. 1, 2022, there has been four incidents of sexual offences on the Wright State campus, with a fifth account of voyeurism occurring on Nov. 10 in Rike Hall. Two of these cases occurred within a week of each other, on Oct. 21 and 25, according to the WSU Police Department crime log. For three of the four sexual assaults, the victim was female with a the forth victim being a male. Three of the four assaults are also currently under investigation with the fourth having all leads exhausted.
Isabel Harney-Davila, a graduate assistant at the Culture & Identity Centers, voiced an insight into the resources the Women's Center provides.
“The Women's Center is a designated space for women, or those who identify as women, with the intended purpose to be a safe space for women on campus,” Harney-Davila explained.
The center also provides women and gender programs, feminine hygiene products at the personal care pantry and sexual assault victim resources, according to Harney-Davila, who also expressed the need to take precautions in light of the two recent October cases.
“It’s more of a reminder that it’s still an issue on campus. I also walk to and from class early in the morning and late at night, so that reminded me, even though I haven’t had any issues with it, that it still exists,” Harney-Davila expressed.
Harney-Davila also exhibited personal precautions, such as asking WSUPD for a ride or taking an uber home, while urging other people on campus to do the same, especially at late times.
WSU alum Jules Mae communicated the predictability of these incidents on campus.
“I’m honestly not surprised, which is terrible. It’s so common, these aren’t the first two times this has happened, and it just continually enforces the idea that being on campus isn’t safe,” Mae said.
WSU response
Wright State is currently working on a partnership with the Young Women’s Christian Association of Dayton, according to Emily Yantis-Houser, the Assistant Director of the LGBTQA Center.
“We’re working on a partnership through the university to provide sexual violence advocacy for students on campus. What that means is we would have a sexual violence advocate on campus several times a week to meet with survivors,” Yantis-Houser said.
Furthermore, Kurt Holden, Chief of Public Safety at Wright State, provided events and resources for people following the cases.
“The police department works closely with Student Advocacy & Wellness and Counseling & Wellness to assist with support and resources,” Holden said.
The WSUPD are currently offering Sexual Assault Awareness and Power Based-Violence & Online Dating educational training every Monday. WSUPD also collaborates with Fairborn Police Department for people interested in self-defense classes, according to Holden.
Holden also commented on the Police Departments’ take on the recent cases.
“I can tell you that the police department takes these incidents very seriously and are actively looking into the matters,” Holden said.
For more information on the resources for sexual assault victims, visit the gender-based violence webpage or the Women’s Center page. Contact WSUPD at 937-775-2111 or local police at 911 in emergency cases or when immediate care is necessary.
