Students verbally harassed by suspicious individuals on campus

There were three incidents involving unknown individuals engaged in suspicious activity on campus last week, according to Shawn Haas, associate director of Campus Safety. 

The first incident involved a male and female who stopped at the track and yelled at a student running in that area and exited their vehicle, wrote Haas in an email to the Accent. 

The second incident occurred when a male driver yelled at female students in Fleming Plaza as he drove through the parking lot. The third incident involved a male who stopped in the parking lot of the Hulsey Wellness Center and yelled racial slurs at students, attempting to elicit a fighting response, according to the emergency text message. Haas stated that he also exited the vehicle. 

The incidents appear to be unrelated, according to Haas.

Haas wrote that while no crimes have been committed, the Collegedale Police Department has been notified, and Campus Safety has requested heavier patrol from them on campus. Haas wrote that Campus Safety has also increased patrol presence. 

“We take the safety of our students very seriously. In response to these incidents, Campus Safety has increased patrol presence around the areas and are on the lookout for vehicles matching those descriptions,” Haas wrote.

The emergency text messages encourage students to alert Campus Safety or call 911 if the vehicles or individuals are spotted again. To sign up for emergency text messages, visit myaccess.southern.edu and click on “Resources.”

Some students have expressed concerns about not receiving the emergency text messages after registering to receive them. Allyson Boyce, junior outdoor therapy major, said in a direct message via Instagram that she has registered for emergency text messages several times but has yet to receive one. 

“It is important for all Southern students and employees to make sure they receive these safety messages,” Haas wrote in response to this concern. “If anyone [has] signed up and did not receive alerts, they should stop by, call or email Campus Safety so we can verify that all of the information on their account is correct. I encourage anyone who has not yet signed up to do so on the Campus Safety page.”

Boyce went on to say that she feels relatively safe on campus, but she feels the least safe walking on campus alone in the dark. 

In a direct message via Instagram, Gabi Swafford, sophomore theology major, wrote that she does not feel safe on campus. Swafford wrote that she has been followed to the dorm on two separate occasions. She did not report the incidents, as she felt, based on others’ experiences, that it would not be taken seriously. 

Swafford expressed concern at the lack of action by Southern administration last year concerning the stalking and assault cases on campus. 

“[Student Association] went out and bought as many self defense tools as they could, but there were only so many to go around,” Swafford wrote. “Why was that responsibility put on SA? Where was the faculty? Why were students forced to protect themselves?”

“Campus Safety encourages all members of the campus community to walk in pairs at night and to utilize safety escorts by Campus Safety when they cannot,” Haas wrote. “We encourage everyone to report anything out of the normal; leave the area and do not engage with the aggressor if this type of behavior is observed.”