To the Editor:
I am writing in regards to the three incidents that occured last Wednesday morning in French Hall, down in the River Cluster. After almost a week of second-hand information and rumors through BlitzMail, I finally received an accurate account of these crimes at the information session held in the French lounge Monday night.
One of these "incidents" was an attempted rape, where the victim awoke to find a male on top of her, apparently about to rape her. The victim reported the assault to her undergraduate advisor, and following a policy affirmed at the meeting, she was instructed to blitz her account to the Department of Safety and Security, which she did. However, the particular campus police officer to whom she mailed her complaint did not check his BlitzMail, and this victim's report was not opened until Sunday night.
Five days -- five days of inactivity, five days of rumors and contradictory reports, five days of denying this event took place. Safety and Security went so far as mass-blitzing the campus stating that no other incidents had been reported, obviously without verifying this information.
I am disgusted and outraged that this breakdown in our "security system" took place, and when this point was brought up during the meeting Monday night, no apologies were made. Shoulders were shrugged, as if this was a slight oversight, not a severe lapse of security.
My heart goes out to the victim of this crime, and I thank God that no one else was hurt by this man during the five days that this report remained unopened. I expect that the full details of this report will be made known to every individual on this campus, and that Dartmouth Safety and Security will work toward living up to its name.