National Stalking Awareness Month
January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Common tactics of stalking include: receiving unwanted phone calls, voice messages, text messages, as well as being approached, watched, followed, or spied on by a perpetrator. The media often romanticizes or trivializes stalking as romantic, endearing, or harmless but stalking is a serious crime. The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. It could be a current or former romantic partner or even a classmate. If you’re being stalked, there are people to talk to and resources to help.
One resource available is campus security. Did you know that campus security can escort you to your car or class if you’re feeling unsafe? Campus security can also answer questions about different legal protections like protection orders and anti-harassment orders. To better understand the role of Campus Security, we interviewed Mike See who is the Director of Security and Safety at Clark College.
1. You’re part of the campus security team, what does that mean exactly?
I am the Director of the Security and Safety Department here at Clark College. We provide 24/7 security services to main campus. We also provide security to CTC during its hours of operation. Examples of security services include taking complaints, responding to emergencies, investigating suspicious circumstances, providing security escorts, answering questions, and ensuring buildings are safe and secure.
I am also a member of the Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (BITA) team, and Title IX team, which can include serving as a Title IX investigator. I am the Clery Act compliance officer for the institution. That means that I am responsible for ensuring the college is meeting all the requirements of the law. An important part of Clery Act compliance is satisfying the requirements of the Federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
2. What does the college do to help keep students safe from things like sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking?
Examples of educational topics include consent, keeping yourself safe, bystander intervention techniques. Campus Security Officers are available on main campus 24/7 and are ready to help anyone in need. In addition to documenting any complaints related to sexual assault, stalking, dating violence or domestic violence, Officers will be happy to help you make contact with the police (if you choose to) and can give you information about counseling and health services that are available to survivors of these crimes.
3. What if something happened off campus or online, can that still be reported to campus security?
Yes. An incident can be reported even if the incident occurred off campus or online. Depending on the circumstances, the matter may not be within the jurisdiction of the college to address. The college can, however, make referrals and take steps to assist the survivor. No matter what the circumstances of the incident are, survivors are encouraged to report. Reporting options can be found on the Clark College Supports Survivors website.
4. Making a report or talking to security can be really stressful, how do you build trust with students and help them feel more at ease?
This video from the Clery Center provides some insight into how we approach our work. We understand that some people may be apprehensive when talking to a person in uniform. My staff and I are committed to serving our community in a compassionate and dignified way. We understand that the reported incident itself has already created stress and discomfort. We strive to apply a trauma-informed approach to our work that is intended to make it as comfortable for the reporting person as we can.
5. Why are you passionate about this work?
I have first-hand knowledge of the impacts that sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking can have on the lives of survivors and the people that love them. I have also seen the lives of perpetrators ruined simply because no one took the time to teach them what a healthy relationship looks like. This is a complex subject that requires a balanced and comprehensive approach that keeps the bests interests of everyone in mind. The safety of everyone on our campus is my highest priority. This work is an important part of what I can do to make Clark College a safe place. For more information, check out the Clark College Security and Safety webpage.
Interested in learning about the psychological impact of stalking? Want to research the effectiveness of trauma-informed methods of law enforcement? Check out the Library Catalog! Not sure where to start? Ask a Librarian
Websites:
Books at Cannell Library:
- The Anti-Social Network: Cyberstalking Victimization Among College Students, 2012 (book)
- Our Encounters with Stalking, 2017 (book)
- Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People in Every Part of Your Life, 2015 (book)
- Privacy Rights in the Digital Age, 2015 (book)
- Hate Crimes in Cyberspace, 2014 (book)
- Cyberbullying and the Wild, Wild Web: What Everyone Needs to Know, 2017 (book)
eBooks from Clark College Libraries:
- Treating the Trauma Survivor: An Essential Guide to Trauma-Informed Care, 2015 (ebook)
- The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: From Attraction to Obsession and Stalking, 2004 (ebook)
- Perspectives on Stalking: Victims, Perpetrators, and Cyberstalking, 2015 (ebook)
- Cyber Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Defense, 2015, (ebook)
