Candice McClusky had no idea that a U of M student was attacked in the Central parking lot Tuesday night.
"I knew nothing about it," said McClusky, a senior art history major. "But it makes me uncomfortable because I park there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and leave class around 7 p.m."
McClusky said police should have alerted everyone on campus to this incident.
"They're supposed to be here for our safety," McClusky said. "We can't protect ourselves if we don't know about these incidents."
Despite the availability of campus escorts, many students don't use the service.
"I've never known anyone who has called for an escort," McClusky said.
Walking in a group or using an escort could still fail to prevent a criminal from ambushing a student.
"I accompanied the student who was attacked to her car Tuesday night," said Cedar Nordbye, assistant art professor. "She was placing items in her trunk, and I left before she drove away."
Nordbye said that he would advise people to wait for their friends to start their cars and drive off before leaving.
"I was in the Central lot and there were no people visible or lurking around," Nordbye said. "Just because you don't see anyone around doesn't mean that you're safe."
Other U of M students say they believe police should issue a warning when incidents occur.
"They don't seem to really make it an issue," said Allison Edwards, a senior architecture major. "They have an obligation to let students know about this."
Police Services officers have spoken briefly with the victim over the phone, said Derek Myers, deputy director of Police Services.
"I don't think that we're going to get to talk to the victim in person until Monday or Tuesday," Myers said. "I've got nothing except the attacker was 'a guy.'"
Myers said police would release information regarding the suspect as soon as they get it.
In 1998, Congress, sparked by the lack of effective disclosure of criminal activities by campus security departments at colleges and universities across the country, expanded and strengthened an impotent 1990 federal law that was enacted to make more information about criminal activity on campuses available.
According to the law, known as the Clery Act, The University is required "to provide an annual statistical report, a daily campus crime log and 'timely reports' regarding crimes that present an ongoing threat to the campus community."
Bruce Harber, director of Police Services, said that his department has used campus-wide e-mail to alert people in the past.
The last public safety alert listed on the Police Services Web site is from March 15, 2003.
In Wednesday's public safety forum, administrators discussed the release of crime information to U of M students.
"There is no attempt on the part of The University to keep crimes from being reported to students," said William Porter, dean of students.Vice president of business and finance Charles Lee said there are privacy and victim's rights issues to consider.
"There's a balancing act in reporting serious crimes and protecting victims," Lee said.
In Wednesday's forum, University Police said that many serious crimes in the past have been isolated incidents.
The Clery Act reads, "Any action that would constitute a crime ... must be included in the report whether it is prosecuted by local law enforcement officials, campus judiciary or no one at all."
"Even if Tuesday's attack is isolated, the victim probably doesn't feel like it's an isolated incident," said Candice McClusky. "A release would at least alert students and possibly scare the attacker away."
Also read the public safety alert.
