Assault cases, domestic violence disturb dorm life

It’s the person who is your best friend, the one who knows your most precious secrets. It’s the one next to you in that picture on your wall. It’s the person you plan your day around, hoping you can find time together.

And it’s the person who is the reason for the bruises you’re covering.

Domestic abuse, an issue usually associated with married couples in their homes, has hit college campuses as well, and officials are taking notice.

Director for Student Programs and Services in IU’s Residential Programs and Services Bill Shipton said RPS identifies domestic abuse as serious harassment, stealing or damaging a roommate’s property.

Shipton said RPS usually receives reports of domestic abuse either from the victim or from a resident assistant.

“I can’t tell you how many,” Shipton said. “I certainly wouldn’t call it common, but I wouldn’t call it rare.”

IU Police Department Chief of Police Keith Cash said IUPD has responded to 33 assault cases between September 2010 and April 2011. Of those, 18 occurred in the dormitories.

He said the police usually identify domestic abuse as violence between spouses, which rarely happens on campus.

Cash said several assault cases were between roommates. Four were between a dating couple, and in four or five cases, men were the victims.

He also said the police are not called in every case, so these numbers do not represent every case of on-campus domestic abuse.

Office for Women’s Affairs Dean Yvette Alex-Assensoh said her office has received reports of men and women suffering from abuse.

“It helps men to understand that they are not alone,” Alex-Assensoh said. “We provide resources to assist survivors.”

Shipton said he believes domestic abuse is more likely to be reported once if it has occurred in the dorms, rather than in off-campus housing. He said many times, victims of domestic abuse do not want to get their friend, the perpetrator, in trouble. On campus, such acts are more likely to be noticed either by someone living near the victim or by the resident assistant, he said.

Alex-Assensoh said her office is working to combat on-campus violence in three major ways.

First, she said the Savant educators, a group of people that work as educators throughout campus through OWA, will incorporate domestic violence into their peer education programs next year.

“We will use the term ‘battering,’ as this is the term that is used by the Department of Justice in its efforts to combat the issue on college campuses,” Alex-Assensoh said.
Second, she said OWA has partnered with University Human Resource Services, the dean of students and the vice provost for faculty and academic affairs to spread violence awareness in coming years.

Third, she said OWA has and will continue to advocate for students, staff and faculty who are survivors of domestic and workplace violence.

“We provide resources, counsel and refer individuals to other resources on campus and in the community,” Alex-Assensoh said.

Shipton also related RPS’ methods to deter on-campus violence, particularly in the residence halls.

He said once a report of such an act is received, RPS officials waste no time in sending it through the campus judicial system.

Perhaps more importantly, Shipton said RPS has the unique ability to separate the victim and perpetrator immediately.

Shipton said if a victim wanted to move following an attack, even if it had not gone through the judicial system yet, RPS would quickly move him or her. He said RPS has several safe rooms on campus where victims of violence can be placed.

If the victim has no desire to move, which Shipton said is common, RPS can move the alleged perpetrator.

He said RPS will give the perpetrator two hours to vacate the building and reassign them to new housing.

“This isn’t part of the judicial system, it’s RPS policy,” Shipton said. “We think it’s important to get perpetrators away from victims as safely as possible.”