2008 Woodie Awards
Reported rapes leave campus on edge
"Possible charges are waiting out there," says Kirkwood dean.
Dane Schumann and Tanya Redinbaugh
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: News
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Six weeks into the fall semester Kirkwood Community College students are fearfully looking over their shoulders.
Two separate reports of rape were filed with the Cedar Rapids Police Department on Aug.23 and Sept.19. The incidents allegedly occurred at the Kirkwood Courts and the Kirkwood Village student-living facilities respectively. Both cases are under investigation. It has not yet been made public if either the alleged victims or assailants are Kirkwood Community College students but Kirkwood Dean of Students Bob Burnes stated in an interview on Tuesday that "Possible charges are waiting out there."
Shannon Brisbois, a Kirkwood student, said, "It's scary. I've heard of seven or eight [rapes] and I didn't hear about any last year."
According to Waypoint Services for Women, a Cedar Rapids based non-profit organization that works to assist rape victims, claims like those of Brisbois's may have some merit. Campus health nurse Amy Ganske said that Waypoint has received a significant increase in the number of rape incidents reported to them in the last year within the Cedar Rapids area.
Service or counseling organizations like Waypoint are not the only options for rape victims. Kirkwood councilors, as well as the nurse are available to provide services. Kirkwood also offers a sexual assault awareness seminar along with a self-defense class every year as part of a federal mandate. Past enrollment in the class has been low "but this year 10 students participated," said Burnes. The class covers basic self-defense techniques and works to raise what Burnes calls the "environmental awareness level" of the students.
"Most of the time people just freeze . . . when something happens to them. . . So what we try to teach them are things like keeping track of their personal space when they're walking and if they think that their space may be being violated, then how to change that or adjust it in order to keep them safe. Because that's the thing, people ignore that kind of thing until it's too late [to stay away from harm], said Burns.
Two separate reports of rape were filed with the Cedar Rapids Police Department on Aug.23 and Sept.19. The incidents allegedly occurred at the Kirkwood Courts and the Kirkwood Village student-living facilities respectively. Both cases are under investigation. It has not yet been made public if either the alleged victims or assailants are Kirkwood Community College students but Kirkwood Dean of Students Bob Burnes stated in an interview on Tuesday that "Possible charges are waiting out there."
Shannon Brisbois, a Kirkwood student, said, "It's scary. I've heard of seven or eight [rapes] and I didn't hear about any last year."
According to Waypoint Services for Women, a Cedar Rapids based non-profit organization that works to assist rape victims, claims like those of Brisbois's may have some merit. Campus health nurse Amy Ganske said that Waypoint has received a significant increase in the number of rape incidents reported to them in the last year within the Cedar Rapids area.
Service or counseling organizations like Waypoint are not the only options for rape victims. Kirkwood councilors, as well as the nurse are available to provide services. Kirkwood also offers a sexual assault awareness seminar along with a self-defense class every year as part of a federal mandate. Past enrollment in the class has been low "but this year 10 students participated," said Burnes. The class covers basic self-defense techniques and works to raise what Burnes calls the "environmental awareness level" of the students.
"Most of the time people just freeze . . . when something happens to them. . . So what we try to teach them are things like keeping track of their personal space when they're walking and if they think that their space may be being violated, then how to change that or adjust it in order to keep them safe. Because that's the thing, people ignore that kind of thing until it's too late [to stay away from harm], said Burns.