Students' Safety Concerns

It has been a trying couple of weeks. We are grateful to see the UCSC community rally together out of concern stemming from the report of a very serious campus crime, as well as in response to a number of acts of other unimaginable violence in the greater Santa Cruz community.

As a community we have a collective responsibility to help and support each other by acting when we can, and speaking out against all forms of violence. We also have a responsibility to make sure that our actions are in sync with our words: to not engage in, perpetuate, or ignore such behavior.

The campus report was of a "stranger" rape that was deemed to be fabricated. Note that only 2 percent of rapes fall into the category of “stranger” rape; the rest are committed by "acquaintances." Not only are rape and sexual assault against the law and university policy, they are egregious acts against another human being, and will not be tolerated in our community.

Our Sexual Assault Prevention Education (SAFE) staff always talk about the three D's of possible intervention: Direct, Distract, and Delegate. To learn more about this subject and other issues around violence, we encourage you to attend a SAFE training on April 21 from 10:30am to 3:30pm. You can sign up for this workshop by emailing Caitlin Stinneford at cstinnef@ucsc.edu.

The Women's Center encourages everyone to get involved with changing how we talk about — and respond to — violence on campus. We are concerned about recent individual events, but encourage people to counter these individual acts with education, awareness, and collective action that promotes community-level empowerment. Everyone can get involved and participate in the movement against violence. An upcoming opportunity is the 32nd annual UCSC Take Back The Night rally and march on April 24, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Email women@ucsc.edu for more information or to volunteer.

The College Administrative Officer (CAO) and the Associate College Administrative Officer (ACAO) located at your College Office are excellent, supportive resources for students affected by and concerned about violence in our communities. Extremely familiar with student life, these professionals are available to those in need, offering support both directly and through referral. Working closely with the Academic Advising staff, the CAOs and ACAOs are well positioned to assist students challenged by situations not only in their community or residential area but in their academic life as well.

I also want those of you who believe you may have experienced or witnessed any crime to feel safe about coming forward and speaking with our Police Department. The police take all reports here seriously and investigate each report thoroughly. They are here to support this community in every way possible.

As a reminder, here are some of the many campus resources available to all students:

UCSC Police
phone: 831-459-2231
web: http://police.ucsc.edu

Title IX Officer/ Sexual Harassment Office
Rita Walker
phone: 831-459-2462
email: rew@ucsc.edu
web: http://www2.ucsc.edu/title9-sh/

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
phone: 831-459-2628
web: http://caps.ucsc.edu

Dean of Students
Alma Sifuentes
phone: 831-459-4446
email: alma@ucsc.edu
web: http://deanofstudents.ucsc.edu

Certified, Confidential Rape Crisis Counselors
Caitlin Stinneford, Sexual Violence Prevention Educator and SAFE Program Manager
phone: 831-459-2721
email: cstinnef@ucsc.edu
web: http://healthcenter.ucsc.edu

Women's Center
Stephanie Milton, Director
phone: 831-459-2169
email: milton@ucsc.edu
web: http://womenscenter.ucsc.edu

Cantu Queer Center
phone: 831-459-2468
email: queer@ucsc.edu
web: http://queer.ucsc.edu

Please contact me if you would like to provide me with additional concerns, suggestions, or information that you feel would assist in making your voice heard and making the campus a safer place for all. Let's keep talking and see what we can do collectively.

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