By: Lexie Clinton, The Daily Cardinal (U. Wisconsin)
Issue date: 4/19/07
MADISON, Wis. – Every campus crime sends shock waves across the isthmus, but the question still remains for every student leaving the University of Wisconsin’s College Library at 3 a.m.: Am I safe?
Talking to different safety experts produced different advice but they all agreed students have a significant role in their own safety.
After hearing about the incidents of sexual assault, abduction and robbery affecting UW-Madison students this school year, Katherine Andriole, assistant program director at Security on Campus, a nonprofit, said students need to recognize the Madison environment simply may not be safe.
“If there really is a safety concern on campus, it is not a wise decision to walk home late at night, regardless whether you’ve been drinking or you’re walking home from the library,” Andriole said. “Avoid any vulnerable situation that you could put yourself in when you know your campus is not safe,” she said.
The UW-Madison Police Department suggests when walking alone one should “walk in a brisk manner on well-lighted streets away from bushes or alleys,” “have keys and cell phone accessible,” while keeping hands free and maintaining an assertive posture.
Also, UWPD Lt. Eric Holen said, “If someone has a perception that they’re not safe, hopefully they’ll use some of the resources available that are designed to make them safer.”
Students regularly use university-funded resources, like SAFEwalk, SAFEride and SAFEbus. But in some situations, the resources do not always cater to the student on the go.
“I usually wait for the bus, but sometimes it just takes too long and you don’t know if it’s coming soon, so I end up walking,” said UW-Madison sophomore Lauren Dahlin.
In situations like this, Erin Weed, author of “Girls Fight Back!: The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself,” recognizes walking alone is inevitable.
“I’ve heard many personal safety experts give advice like, ‘Whatever you do, never ever walk alone at night.’ What? Is that even practical or possible?” Weed writes in her book.
Instead, Weed says fight back.
If an attacker does approach, Weed says it is important to create verbal and physical boundaries. She recommends using this phrase: “Stop. Leave me alone. I don’t want any problems.”
When words are not enough, Weed recommends using physical force. She says even the smallest frames can effectively fight back.
Some basic tips include using the heel of the palm to upwardly strike an attacker’s nose, bending down to the ground to build up forceful kicks or using carefully placed eye jabs.
Taking a self-defense class is the best possible way to train the body, Weed says, and UW-Madison provides students with that option.
There is a Chimera Self Defense Program offered in Gordon Commons that teaches verbal assertiveness skills and physical techniques to reduce the risk of harassment and assault. A six-hour course is $20. [There are self defense classes available at other locations in other cities and on other university campuses.]
Even if students learn specific techniques and utilize safety resources, being intoxicated can significantly impair their sense of safety, experts say.
“We are constantly seeing cases of sexual assault where alcohol is involved,” Andriole said. “Statistics range anywhere from 60 to 90 percent depending on who you ask, but it’s really common to have the two connected.”
Andriole said students sometimes do not report crimes that happened when they were intoxicated because they think it could somehow be used against them or they could receive a citation.
However, Andriole said victims, particularly those of sexual assault, should not hesitate to contact authorities, regardless if they have been drinking. She said she knew of “no cases off hand where a victim has reported some type of crime and has given context – ‘I was intoxicated’ – and has therefore gotten in trouble.”
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