Campus-area rapes raise concerns

-- Julie Lorentz

In the early morning of Jan. 1, a 57-year-old female was brutally raped and assaulted behind the Salvation Army at the intersection of Payne and Lawson Avenues in St. Paul. A second rape was reported one week later on Jan. 8 by a 13-year-old girl who had been on her way to school in the Phalen Lake area.

As these areas are only a few blocks from Metropolitan State University’s St. Paul Campus, many female students have voiced concern about their safety, as it’s possible that the two rapists may be roaming the area.

Doris Daye, one of these students, was concerned enough to buy a can of pepper spray that she now carries in her purse. "I always watch my surroundings before I leave my car," she said.

Roxann Valeriano, another student, said, "Any rape concerns me." Valeriano said she knows what to do if approached, as she once was a rape counselor.

None of the students questioned said they had ever used the security services offered by Metropolitan State’s Safety and Security Office. The security services used by the university are contracted from a professional security agency.

Dennis Fredrick, a safety and security officer at the university, said that escort services are available to students for both the main parking lot and the surrounding side street areas around campus. If students feel threatened, they may also park in the St. Paul Library and Learning Center parking lot as long as they notify a safety and security officer at the security desk located on the first floor of the building (by the Computer Center entrance).

Since Dayton Bluffs Library, located in the Library and Learning Center, is accessible to the local community, it is necessary for added patrolling of the area. Each night starting at 6:00 p.m., two safety and security officers patrol the fenced parking lot on Maria Avenue, watching for students both coming and going to classes at that time. After the rush, one officer remains in the parking lot while the other patrols the classrooms and buildings.

If any students need an escort to or from campus, they should contact the Safety and Security Office at (651) 793-1717, or page them at (952) 601-4860.

As of the date of this article, neither of the two suspected rapists has been apprehended.