Campus is safe for students

Duke students are facing difficult news this week regarding reports that an alleged assault on campus did not, in fact, occur. There are a few important points to make at this time. First and foremost, this news should not discredit the frequency of sexual assault or how it should be treated on this campus. Sexual assault in the form of acquaintance rape occurs on campus with appalling regularity. It is important to remember that sexual assault does happen on campus; the women who come forward must be supported and their reports must be respected.

What must be stressed about the recent incident is that the student who reported the crime has mental health issues, and fortunately she will be able to receive psychological counseling. The vast majority of women who report sexual assaults do not have mental health issues. The press coverage for false assault claims over-represents the frequency of these incidents. Therefore, students must not view this case as indicative of a typical case of assault or sexual assault.

That being said, the time has come for students to recognize that Duke is a safe place to live. In my conversations with students, I have sensed an underlying feeling of terror, especially among women on campus. Many seniors who lived on East when fear over the alleged incident in Randolph was rampant still fear that an anonymous stranger from outside of Duke can harm students. While this will always be a remote possibility, this fear stems from an inaccurate understanding of campus safety. Students should not feel frightened to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night or to run alone at 8:30 a.m. in the morning. We live on a safe campus. It will never be free of crime, but it is a safe place to live.

Of course, guidelines presented by the Duke University Police Department for dealing with unsafe situations should still be followed (walk in groups late at night especially off campus, don’t go through the Gardens late at night, secure your belongings, etc.). Exercising caution is important, but the fear that students show when engaging in activities that are, in all actuality, safe, creates an understanding that our student community is far more vulnerable than it really is.

Over the past three years there has been a growing sentiment among students that the DUPD has not been thorough and has not followed through on high profile assault cases. In reality the opposite has occurred. The temptation with these cases is to blame the administration for their seeming lack of reaction, but we must recognize that often the administration must maintain confidentiality to protect the student or students involved. In this case, the administration has been put in exactly this type of situation. It is important to reaffirm how diligent and careful the DUPD and the administration have been, and how well they have handled these delicate situations over the years.

Duke is and will continue to be a safe place to live, due in large part to the efforts of Duke Police and campus security. We live in a caring community of students and administrators who passionately strive to do everything in their power to create a safe campus without generating unnecessary fears. Recognizing that our campus is safe will allow us to focus on the positives of our Duke community, as well as deal with its tragedies with compassion and unified understanding.

Pasha Majdi