Author Archives | Dahlia Bazzaz

Meet the student side of the UOPD

For the last year and a half, the Student Security Assistant program has been bridging the gap between the University of Oregon Police Department and the student body.

There are 11 students currently employed through the program. The program’s head, James Stegall, said that the job offers a glimpse into working with law enforcement. 

“We’ve only opened up for applications twice and the response has been overwhelming. We can only keep it open for a few days,” Stegall said.

Here’s what it’s like to work for the UOPD, from the students that unlock the doors to your evening classes and come to the rescue when you’ve locked yourself out of a building on a Saturday. 

Name: Sandra Benny 

Year: Senior 

Major: Family and Human Services 

What’s your favorite part of the job? 

“My favorite part is probably patrolling. Once we lock-up, it’s up to us (security assistants do their shifts in pairs) where we want to go, as long as we stay on campus. We act as an eye for police officers.” 

What do you tend to see a lot of while out on patrol? 

“We see a lot of transients, homeless people in buildings and have to ask them to leave. It’s usually in buildings on the edge of campus, like PLC (Prince Lucien Campbell Hall) and Villard Hall.” 

What sorts of challenges do you face in your jobs? 

“Having to decide whether or not to call in an incident or not. For example, if someone is too intoxicated but you also don’t want to ruin someone’s day. I use my best judgement. It’s really about their safety.” 

How do people respond when you tell them you work for the UOPD? 

“They’re like, ‘what?’ They’re definitely shocked because I think a lot of people don’t really know about the program, (or) they tend to see us as an authoritative figure. But we’re just there to help.”

Name: Cody Linklater 

Year: Senior

Major: English and Japanese 

What would people be the most surprised to hear about your job? 

“We’re not segregated from the rest of the police force at all. We get to work alongside sworn police officers, and it’s very team oriented. By nature, police departments are like a brother or sisterhood. Everyone has each other’s back, and it’s good to be a part of a team that has your best interests.” 

Have you been able to call in anything big while out on patrol? 

“In September, before school started, I was doing my lock-up routine on patrol when I saw someone leaving Lawrence Hall, in the middle of the day, carrying something that looked like a covered up computer monitor. That made me suspicious, because when the university transports equipment it’s usually not concealed. So I followed and eventually stopped him. It turned out he was someone known to the UOPD. He was taken to jail and convicted of theft in the third degree.” 

What did he end up stealing? 

“It was a projector. Locking up buildings is great and it’s often overlooked because the buildings we oversee have millions of dollars of equipment in them.” 

What’s the funniest thing you’ve come across? 

I was on patrol once, and I saw a raccoon dive into a trashcan. I went to spook the raccoon, and it came out with a hamburger in its mouth. Then it chucked the wrapper from the burger and ran off into some trees.” 

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Drug violations, bike thefts in residence halls kick off 2015: Campus crime wrap-up, week 1

While you were away, the University of Oregon police mostly handled marijuana-related crimes and trespassing, but UO has started the new year with a round of thefts and drug usage. According to the UO Police Department’s daily crime log, there were three bike thefts during week one and seven drug citations in the Hamilton and Walton housing complexes.

The crime log, which hadn’t been updated since Dec. 18, also included a batch of Finals Week liquor violations from University Housing and incidents from winter break.

Not listed in the map below, but still recorded in the log, is a Dec. 19 incident of “telephone harassment.”

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz

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Oregon will participate in several studies that address sexual assault

How do you measure where a university stands when it comes to sexual assault?

There is not a clear answer yet. In 2014, three attempts — one gauging the extent of rape culture on campus, another assessing assault on campus and a third appointed by the president to look at institutional response to the crime — were conducted in order to assess the University of Oregon’s climate toward sexual assault.

This year, more surveys will roll out both nationwide and at the UO. The goal: advising administrators on how to make campus sexual assault-free.

The Campus Climate Survey

In fall of 2014, UO psychology professor Jennifer Freyd and with Ph.D students Carly Smith and Marina Rosenthal conducted an online survey of nearly 1,000 UO students about both their peers’ and personal experiences with sexual assault.

The team revealed to a Senate Task Force in September that 35 percent of survey participants had experienced unwanted sexual contact at least once in college.

Freyd and her students planned the survey for years before they got the green light from the UO Institutional Review Board.

Freyd said the survey was intended to fulfill the recommendations of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault, an initiative that created a sexual assault survey template for colleges to use nationwide.

Report of the President’s Review Panel

The President’s Review Panel was created by former UO President Michael Gottfredson in May following high-profile allegations that three members of the men’s basketball team had assaulted a freshman.

The panel published a  71-page report in December that detailed the UO’s prevention and response to sexual misconduct and assault based on information from different campus constituents and reviewing current policies and practices. Among other advice, the task force recommended that UO participate in a campus climate survey.

“It is important to U of O to truly understand what the situation is on its campus and ideally a climate survey would help with this,” Mary Deits, chair of the President’s Review Panel wrote in an email to The Emerald. “Our panel also believed that a uniform survey also used by other universities would provide comparative data that could help the university assess its issues and also allow it to collaborate with other universities on appropriate issues.”

Report of the University Senate Task Force to Address Sexual Violence and Survivor Support

“Twenty Students Per Week” is the title of the report based on the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control that say 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted in college.  The Senate Task Force was created by senate legislation to study the UO’s response to sexual violence.

Some changes have been made based on the recommendations. For example, interim UO President Scott Coltrane authorized a $15,000 sexual assault prevention emergency fund for the Division of Student Life.

In a November interview with the Emerald, Coltrane said that the administration would wait on more reports from the review panel and a gap analysis of education and prevention services by Student Life before making changes. Vice President of Student Life Robin Holmes was not available to comment.

Association of American Universities Survey 

The UO in December announced that it would continue looking into the issue of sexual assault in 2015 through endorsement and participation in two more sexual assault surveys: one home grown, developed and designed by GTFs and doctoral students of UO psychology professor Jennifer Freyd, and the other administered through the Association of American Universities.

“Our primary goal is to provide universities with the information they need to craft empirically informed policies and practices for protecting students from sexual assault and promoting campus safety,” AAU President Hunter Rawlings III said in a letter to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Sixty-one scientists from across the country have signed several letters opposing the AAU survey. Freyd has been outspoken against the AAU survey.

“Regarding problems with the AAU survey, lack of transparency is only one of the issues,” Freyd said through email. “There are also potential problems with the methodology.”

Here are some of the major arguments against the AAU survey, as found in the four letters addressed to the presidents and chancellors of AAU-member universities, and responses from AAU President Hunter Rawlings III .

Argument: The AAU is asking for a commitment without seeing the survey.

Rebuttal: The survey is not being designed in secret and the funding method is typical of how survey research is funded.

Argument: The results of the survey will not be shared or available for comparison.

Rebuttal: Collective results of the AAU schools will be shared with the public. Institutions can decide whether or not to share their individual results.

Argument: The pressure for AAU members to sign up too quickly, which could result in spending over $5 million on the survey, if most AAU members participate.

Rebuttal: The $5 million figure is exaggerated. The AAU’s $85,000 per-university-cost is based on there being 40 participants, not 62 members of the AAU as the $5 million number suggests. Rawlings says that the cost per institution would decline if more institutions signed on, but surveys like this are expensive.

Since the publication of the first letter against the survey, three more have been published detailing additional concerns. The most recent letter, published Dec. 3, 2014, criticized the survey’s timeline, and said that the survey duplicates existing initiatives and lacks transparency.

Although it has yet to be designed, Vice President for Public Affairs at the AAU Barry Toiv says the organization is confident in its survey.

“This survey will easily be the largest survey on this issue ever,”  Toiv said. “Covering a broad cross-section of our universities, public and private, small and large, and geographically diverse.”

At the University of Oregon (Campus Climate Survey)

The AAU survey is estimated to cost $85,000 per institution. Interim President Scott Coltrane said that the local survey’s estimated cost is about $70,000, which means UO will pay around $155,000 for both surveys.

Carol Stabile has objections to UO’s participation in the AAU survey. Stabile is co-chair of the Task Force to Prevent Sexual Violence and Survivor Support and a member of the Campus Climate Advisory Group.

“If the University is willing to fund a survey sight unseen without blinking an eye,” Stabile said in an email. “They should be able to fund the additional recommendations the Senate Task Force made.”

Two different committees of experts, one assembled by President Coltrane and another by Dr. Freyd, will oversee the local survey. While Coltrane’s advisory group will focus on institutional needs, Freyd said that her committee will focus on “scientific quality” of the questions, data analysis, and methodology.

Stabile said that the group will advise the President about how best to move forward with the internal survey and on the AAU survey when the details become available.

“I know that there are differences of opinion about the best way to sample, design surveys, and collect data on sensitive topics like sexual violence,” said Coltrane via email. “The committee will provide expertise and counsel to make sure both the externally-provided AAU survey and an internally-developed UO survey are conducted following best practices.”

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Two indicted in car crash involving UO distance runners

On Nov. 26, 2012, University of Oregon distance runners Molly Grabill and Chris Brewer were driving on Interstate 5 when a rock was thrown from an overpass, shattering the window of their vehicle and causing it to spin out of control. Grabill was hospitalized for two days and suffered several injuries to her head and face, including a broken jaw.

The case has remained open for two years. Two Douglas County residents, Matthew Logan McKinney and Hayden Ray Tabor, were implicated following police investigation into the crime.

But in 2014, after Grabill filed a $950,000 lawsuit against 21-year-olds McKinney and Tabor that was later dropped in November, the pair responsible for the crash are now facing several counts of second, third and fourth degree assault after a grand jury indicted them last month, according to the Register Guard. 

McKinney and Tabor, both residents of Douglas County, are scheduled for an arraignment later this month. According to Oregon state measure 11, anyone convicted of second-degree assault faces a minimum prison sentence of almost six years.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz 

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Crime grinds to a near halt during the first week of winter break

Though much of University of Oregon remains at least partially operational over winter break, the uncharacteristically low number of crimes reported on the UOPD’s crime log for the last two weeks suggests that less students on campus equals less crime on campus.

Like finals week, the numbers this week hovered at around a dozen. With very few students left on campus to steal property from, not a single report of theft was made on the crime log from Dec. 13 to 18. Instead, the top crime for the five-day period was trespassing , which is almost always the result of individuals breaking police orders to stay off university property.

Besides trespassing, graffiti, drug violations, arrest warrants and the ever-so-vague “criminal mischief,” made up the rest of the 12 incidents reported on the log.

Take a look at the map below to see the geographic distribution of the incidents the UOPD responded to.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz

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Fall term in crime: Crime spike at Colorado game, physics professor stabbed by wife and more

The past 11 weeks have added a total of 892 incidents to the University of Oregon Police Department’s campus crime log. This included a bevy of drug and liquor violations added in batches from Campus Housing unit busts, meth and marijuana possessions, burglaries, MIPs and plenty of bike thefts.

As far as crime goes on campus — how much, where it occurs, how often — it’s safe to assume that any time there’s an event – a game at Autzen Stadium or a concert at Matthew Knight Arena, among others – the numbers will spike.

Such was the case during the most crime-heavy period of the term, week 9, when a home game against the University of Colorado on Nov. 22 added 45 incidents to the crime log.  That was also the shortest week of the term; classes got out on Wednesday for Thanksgiving.

Here are some crime highlights from the term, as well as a few interesting trends tallied up for you:

Highlights:

Week 6: Over 344 liquor and drug violations from the first half of fall term added by UO Housing

Week 4: 14 alcohol-related offenses

Week 7: Three people assaulted, one robbed on campus

Sep. 25: Head of UO Physics department hospitalized after being stabbed by wife

Crime tallies by type of crime:

– Theft: 96

– Bike theft: 46

– Alcohol-related offenses: 76*

– Marijuana-related offenses: 37*

– Trespassing: 37

– Graffiti: 25

– Burglary: 14

*Not including most liquor/drug violations reported by University Housing

Finals week in crime

Unsurprisingly, finals week saw the fewest number of crimes. To see what each pin on the map represents, click on the icon in the upper left hand corner for a key. Stars on the map reflect incidents with multiple violations.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter @dahliabazzaz

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New DOJ report challenges that “one in five” women are sexually assaulted in college

The United States Department of Justice released a special report today that, among other things, challenges the National Institute of Justice’s previous finding that 1 in 5 women are sexually assaultedduring their time in college — claiming that only 6.1 percent (or 6.1 per every 1,000 students) of female students are sexually assaulted. 

The report, titled “Rape and Sexual Assault Victimization Among College-Age Females, 1995-2013,” drew its conclusions from data gathered by the National Crime Victimization Survey, which collects information about non-fatal crimes against people aged 12 and older that aren’t reported to law enforcement. The survey is overseen by the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. 

By surveying both students and non-students about sexual assault, the NCVS also found that though women aged 18 to 24 experienced unwanted sexual contact at a higher rate than women in other age groups, non-students within the same age bracket were actually 1.2 times more likely to experience sexual assault (7.6 for every 1,000 people).

If you’re scratching your head about the numbers, so are sexual assault data researchers across the country. Different definitions of sexual assault, sample size and location can all play a big role in data accuracy — a reality that has led many to question which data can be trusted. 

An article published by Slate earlier this month, for example, claims that the NIJ’s 2007 Campus Sexual Assault Study “1 in 5” statistic is an overstatement of the number of sexual assaults on campus — and even quotes the study’s leader, Christopher Krebs, saying that the “1 in 5” number is not meant to be “nationally representative.” The article points to the study’s small sample size — a few thousand students from only two different universities — as a likely culprit. 

For the last year or so, the University of Oregon has been dealing with its own sexual assault data gap analysis. On Dec. 3, the university announced that it would conduct two different campus-wide surveys on sexual assault — one overseen by a Campus Climate Advisory Group, which includes UO Psychology Professor Jennifer Freyd, and the other by a contracted research company called Westat. The latter survey is an option presented to members of the Association of American Universities. 

The two surveys represent a tug-of-war between the administration and faculty members such as Dr. Freyd — who conducted her own Campus Climate survey at the UO in October with two of her Graduate Teaching Fellows — over what the ideal survey would look like. Between the amount of surveys and all the dizzying ways they can be conducted, it doesn’t appear that the battle to crunch numbers is going to clear up anytime soon. 

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City of Eugene to address noise complaints through UO Restorative Justice program

If you live in a house or apartment in West University and you’ve received multiple noise complaints, you and your roommates might just find yourselves in front of the University of Oregon’s Restorative Justice panel. 

During a Eugene City Council work session on November 19, Presiding Judge Wayne Allen proposed expanding restorative justice approaches beyond Social Host Ordinance violations to address noise complaints in residences near the UO. 

The UO’s Conflict Resolution Department typically works with the City of Eugene to mediate disputes between students and the greater community. But outside of charges including theft and vandalism, Social Host Ordinance violations were the only neighborhood disturbances handled (partially) through the UORJ program — and according to Allen, they’re on the decline. 

“For some reason we’re not getting a lot of unruly gathering cases,” said Allen. “There’s a very anxious panel at the university that wants to see more cases come their way.” 

A case brought through the UORJ program can be addressed in a number of ways depending on the dispute, but all of them seek to show the impact of the student’s choices to those affected.

The process holds significant appeal for neighbors of noisy student residences that would rather keep their noise complaints anonymous, and the panel will work with the student in question, with or without the victim’s cooperation. 

Councilman Alan Zelenka, who represents the area surrounding campus, said that the reason for the drop in Social Host Ordinance violations is likely twofold: neighbors opting to file noise complaints in lieu of unruly gatherings out of guilt for the potential repercussions against the students, and that the ordinance might be doing its job. 

“[The social host ordinance] served its purpose by scaring people out of illegal activity,” said Zelenka. “So there’s been a drop-off in people hosting unruly gatherings over and over again.” 

Allen said that while the university has “stepped up to the plate” in taking care of community violations, he hopes that administration will be even more proactive — especially after the changes that were made to the Student Conduct Code in September 2014. 

Under the conduct code’s jurisdiction section, which details the conditions and location under which the conduct code applies to students, “the University may extend jurisdiction if the alleged conduct would have violated the Student Conduct Code if the conduct had occurred on campus.” 

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz 

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Bazzaz: My ride-along with the UOPD

“I’m going to give you the cover and conceal talk that I give on all of my ride-alongs. Conceal means get behind a bush: anything that will interfere with an assailant’s view of you. Cover means put yourself behind something that will stop a bullet. So whether that’s a tree — or another officer — I’m going to need you to do that, ok?” 

I nodded. She handed me a heavy metal flashlight. Along with a UOPD sergeant, Officer Allison Hart and I trudged through muddy, uncut grass until we approach a tent where someone had been illegally camping on university grounds. I’m told to stand back as the officers peer around the corner.

“Are you in there? This is the police,” said Hart. She and the sergeant unzip the tent and probe the sides with their flashlights. No one’s there.

— 

Last Wednesday, I got a taste of what it’s like to be on a patrol ride-along with the University of Oregon Police Department. 

My assigned officer, 28-year-old UO law school graduate Allison Hart, is the only female police officer at the UOPD. 

“I needed more variety than what a career in law would offer me,” she said. 

What attracted her to the job most was the fact that she could work with people. As a veteran of customer service positions, Hart’s main concern is how she interacts with the community and people she meets during her patrol. 

“Cops see the best people on their worst days. Lawyers see the worst people on their best days…I was a kid too. I’m not here to hold that against you,” she said. 

There weren’t any calls when we first departed for the ride-along, so Hart asked me if I’d like to see dispatch. For security purposes, I’m not allowed to reveal where the UOPD’s call center is. After a few security clearances, we enter the room where dispatch is housed. 

It was like I had dropped into a Spy Kids movie. At the front of the room, four plasma screens hung from the wall inches from each other. Each screen is displaying a feed from at least 10 or 15 different security cameras in a grid.

A pair of dispatchers working at the time, Wendy Rouse and Michelle Jackson, and were each stationed at a desk equipped with nine monitors. All 18 monitors were being put to use. 

Normally, one dispatcher takes calls and the other sends out a message over the radio. If the caller provided information about where a certain crime is taking place, Rouse or Jackson will try and gather suspect information by looking at the camera footage.

“You never know what kind of call you’re going to get,” said Jackson. “It’s fast-paced, and always a challenge.” 

During times when call volume isn’t as high, the dispatchers watch the feeds for suspicious activity.

“17 people tried to fit themselves into a Barnhart elevator once. It was amusing to watch,” Rouse said. 

When we return to her car, Hart tells me about her experience working the 3-10 p.m. shift between radio chatter and dispatch calls. 

“I think I’ve reached my lifetime quota of vomit.” Public intoxication is something she has to deal with frequently. 

But sometimes the night can take a light-hearted turn: “One time a guy was canoeing in the Jaqua fountain. He kept asking why he couldn’t be doing that. And it’s hard to keep a straight face when you’re trying to deal with something like that,” she said. 

Homelessness is another problem that Hart encounters often. The cycle of substance abuse that affects many homeless people means that Hart is often arresting the same people for the same crimes. 

“It’s disheartening to see that,” said Officer Hart. “My least favorite part about the job is that I can’t fix everything.”

Listen to more of what Dahlia Bazzaz has to say about her ride-along here:

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Mark Lewis remembered in Allen Hall

Several students gathered around the whiteboard wall in Allen Hall Monday afternoon to contribute their memories and experiences with School of Journalism and Communication instructor Mark Lewis.

Lewis, who passed away on Sunday, was a part-time instructor. He taught a presentation skills class. 

Students handed out flowers and passed around a memory book. A grief counselor from the Health Center was also on hand.

“He was beloved,” advertising professor Deborah Morrison said. “We’ll keep this wall up for the rest of the week — or whatever our hearts feel.” 

The wall included everything from inside jokes to thank yous, all of them surrounding a sketch of Lewis’ face with the phrase “share your stories” underneath. 

“It was such a privilege,” one person wrote to the left of the portrait. To the right, another wrote “I don’t think I ever left class without a smile on my face.” 

Advertising major Natasha Pitze said that a candlelight vigil is scheduled for sometime later this week. 

Lewis’ family has set up a page where visitors can share their memories and stories. You can also share memories of Mark with the Emerald. 

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz 

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