Three days following the reported sexual assault of an SMUstudent, fliers have been posted throughout the campus alerting andinforming students of the incident.
News of the reported rape heightened concerns about studentsafety on campus.
“I received numerous calls and e-mails at theWomen’s Center from students, faculty and staff concerningthe assault. People wanted to know if and when a campus alert wouldcome out, or why an alert hadn’t been issued earlier,”said Amy Dominguez, co-president of SMU’s Women’sInterest Network.
Patti LaSalle, vice president of Public Affairs, said the SMUPolice Department did not have sufficient information on thereported sexual assault to put out an alert.
“The investigation is still ongoing. I don’t believethe results [from the rape kit issued at Parkland Hospital] areback yet,” LaSalle said.
Along with the posted alerts, students will find fliers on otheraspects of student life. The informative leaflet will coverimportant issues that students should be aware of, ranging fromdorm safety to campus security when school is in session andthroughout the holidays.
“We’re raising awareness on these issues of safetywith the informative fliers,” Vice President of StudentAffairs James Caswell said.
When asked about the delay in releasing a campus-wide alert,Caswell said he didn’t have an answer.
“The police and Public Relations do a good job withhandling sexual assaults, and they have moved forward with such analert. It is out there now,” Caswell said.
Dr. Cathey Soutter, who helps coordinate rape counseling throughthe health center, said women’s safety is an important issueon the SMU campus. “Our No. 1 goal is to ensure that womenare safe. We also provide programs and counseling along with thepolice services for victims of sexual assault. The police do a goodjob,” Soutter said.
On average the counseling center sees seven to 10 victims ofrape in an academic year. Consistently more women seek counselingfor rape than the number of rapes that are reported to thepolice.
At this point, the reported rape in the Airline garage is auniversity police matter.
