Within the past month, there have been two incidences of violence on campus reported to the Office of Public Safety. The most recent instance occurred on April 8 when a student was assaulted and robbed in the Guilford College woods.
The student, who is a male sophomore, sat down to talk to The Guilfordian, but preferred to remain anonymous pending the ongoing police investigation with the Greensboro Police Department.
“I never thought something like this would happen to me, and I’m worried that it could happen to someone else,” said the student.
Although the student sustained no serious injuries and little money was stolen, he told The Guilfordian that it didn’t make the experience any less jarring.
“Ever since then, I’ve been more suspicious,” said the student. “I really do love the woods, but I also realize that it’s an impossible space for P-Safe to completely patrol. You need to know when to turn around and walk away.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, between the years of 2007 and 2009, the Guilford campus experienced one reported robbery, four reported forcible sex offenses, and 49 reported burglaries. Compared to most other schools, particularly large institutions, Guilford is a safe campus.
However, according to Director of Public Safety Ron Stowe, it is still important for students to realize that Guilford is not a closed campus.
“The Guilford woods are both a blessing and a curse,” said Stowe. “It’s a beautiful place for people to meditate, go running, or whatever. It’s the ‘whatever’ that we worry about.”
Director of Student Judicial Affairs Sandy Bowles stressed the importance of student awareness on campus.
“I think this community needs to find a balance between shutting down and not paying attention at all,” said Bowles. “We all get lulled into complacency, and that’s when these kinds of issues happen.”
According to Student Success Counselor Meagan Jolliffe, it is also important to not stay in the Guilford bubble for fear’s sake.
“Closing the bubble is not a way to deal with this,” said Jolliffe. “We’d be missing out on a lot and not fixing the problem. Shutting down is not a way to be safe.”
On Sunday, April 17, Guilford’s Sexual Assault Awareness Support and Advocacy Group (SAASA) hosted Take Back the Night to recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Although the t-shirts strung between the trees outside King Hall demonstrated a different method of raising awareness about campus violence, it was nevertheless equally poignant.
“SAASA started because of a lack of communication between administrators and students, and students to students,” said senior and SAASA co-president Mary Hackett. “We are trying to bridge the gap about sexual awareness on campus.”
Guilford students, faculty, and staff gathered in front of Founders Hall to hear speakers including Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Julie Winterich and sexual assault survivor Elaine Oberto.
“We lose the spotlight when we blame women for being alone, drinking or wearing short skirts,” said Winterich. “We have the right to walk in the night … to drink, to not worry about friends at a party.”
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, every two minutes someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.
“Rape is often called the ‘act of silence’ because it goes unreported, but it goes beyond that,” said Oberto. “People just don’t talk about it.”
According to Stowe, safety awareness and community dialogue are the common denominator when addressing the possibility of on-campus violence.
“Take this with you: we want you to be safe and we want to do all we can do,” said Stowe. “However, we can’t protect you from everything; there is also a level of personal responsibility involved.”
The Office of Public Safety recommends that students save Public Safety’s number in their cell phones in case of emergency and to not wander around the woods alone.
The sophomore who was assaulted echoed this advice.
“The attack could have been worse; it could have happened to someone who was smaller than me,” said the student. “Enjoy the woods, but be safe and be smart.”
Stowe also stressed the importance of following your gut instinct in potentially dangerous situations.
“Humans are the only animal that will have that gut feeling, but then ignore it,” said Stowe. “We need to be aware of these feelings and follow them.”