Female students at Cal State San Marcos say they are living in terror after four rapes were reported on campus within the first three weeks of the fall term.
A student at the university, located in northern San Diego County, launched a Change.org petition on Sept. 21 demanding that administrators boost security and explain exactly how they plan to protect women from sexual violence. The petition says students have been alarmed not only by the four reported rapes but also by a reported breaking and entering and sexual assault on campus in less than three weeks.
“As women, we have the right to a safe education just as much as the rest of the student body,” she wrote in the petition.
The four rapes were reported on Sept. 5, Sept. 6, Sept. 13 and Sept. 18, according to CSUSM spokesperson Jerry McCormick. The incidents occurred at The Quad, University Village Apartments and Black Oak Hall. McCormick told the California Post that the reports were not believed to be connected and that the people involved knew one another in each case.
The student behind the petition claimed she and other female students had reached out to the Associate Vice President for Campus Security but had not received a response. She also criticized what she described as a lack of communication from the university about whether security would be increased, arguing students should not be expected to shoulder the burden of protecting themselves.
“CSUSM continues to propose reactive solutions to an active problem,” she wrote.
McCormick pushed back with a statement emphasizing institutional responsibility. “Sexual assault is never acceptable and is never the survivor’s fault. Consent must be affirmative, voluntary and ongoing,” he said.
The university issued campus safety alerts about the reports under the federal Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, which requires colleges to notify students about certain crimes on or near campus. McCormick also noted that the opening weeks of the academic year are considered a particularly vulnerable period for sexual violence on college campuses nationwide.
“The first six weeks of the fall semester at universities across the nation are often called the ‘Red Zone,’ when the risk of campus sexual violence is elevated,” he said.
The petition calls on the university to increase security in parking lots, the Quad and other poorly lit areas, while demanding “complete transparency” about what officials plan to do to address safety concerns. The student argued that education and precautions are not enough and that university officials must take a more active role in preventing violence.
“We should not carry the full responsibility for taking extra careful precautions because of the disgusting actions of other students,” the petition states.
The string of reports has left women on campus increasingly concerned about sexual violence, with the petition capturing a sense of frustration that warnings about personal safety place the onus on potential victims rather than addressing root causes or increasing protective measures.