A University of Wisconsin-Madison student, inspired by the increasing awareness of unreported sexual assaults on campus presented anonymously on the UW-Madison Confessions Facebook page, organized a campus safety discussion between a panel of experts and the campus community in Dejope Hall Monday.
The panel included Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, Madison Police Department Lt. Kelly Donahue and student organization Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment members.
“It was one of the few opportunities where students were able to talk very honestly to a City of Madison lieutenant about instances on campus as well as different safety precautions,” Resnick said.
PAVE Peer Facilitator Jessica Dattalo spoke about the importance of sexual consent, and highlighted a national statistic that one in four women will be a victim of sexual assault in their college careers.
“It’s never the victim’s fault that someone decided to perpetrate against them,” Dattalo said. “I think that’s something important to keep in mind.”
Only about 30 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses will be reported to police, Dattalo added.
Resnick emphasized the importance of witnesses reporting sexual assaults, and said there is a “very low chance” police would write a student an underage ticket if they reported a crime, despite being underage and intoxicated.
“The Madison police department is thinking not about underage tickets, but about safety first,” Resnick said.
Donahue also said it’s important for students to lock their doors to prevent residential burglaries, and stop their mail over breaks because overflowing mail is a sign to potential burglars that a home is unoccupied.