Sexual Violence on Campus

Following the UIS Police Chief's very prudent message about a rape investigation on campus, my class with approximately 13 young women and 3 young men all between the ages of 18 and 19 in attendance, all of whom reside in the residence hall, expressed concern about personal safety and security on a campus which has consistently scaled back the operating budget and facilities allocated for its Women's Center. [I do not mean to insinuate that the absence of one equals the other because as we all should have learned in our Freshmen writing courses--oh so many years ago in my case--correlation does not equal causation.] And I emphatically applaud the police department in this instance for its proactive public relations approach. But, it stands to reason that if one deems coordinated outreach with regard to meta-effects of sexual violence in the campus community, one should empower and look to the Women's Center for that leadership. If this issue concerns you, please contact: 206.7173 or womenscenter@uis.edu For the record, no one associated with the UIS Women's Center or UIS Women's Issues Caucus has prompted me to post this statement. But historically speaking, when women "get the shaft," cripples, non-Caucasians and old people are next, hmm...