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The Weekly Snapshot
Your source for the latest tips, information, and current campus safety resources from the NCCPS.
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January is National Stalking Awareness Month
This January marks the 13
th
observance of National Stalking Awareness Month. The Stalking Resource Center (SRC) of the National Center for Victims of Crime partners with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to bring resources and general awareness to the public about stalking every January. President Obama issued the
2016 proclamation
and underscored the importance of standing "with victims of stalking" as well as bringing stalkers to justice and increasing efforts to remove stalkers from our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
The statistics on stalking are unsettling. Seven and a half million people are stalked in the United States alone each year, and one in six women will be stalked at some point in their lifetime. Furthermore, two-thirds of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week, many daily, using more than one method. Technology, such as cell phones, GPS, email and social media, has increased the avenues stalkers can use to contact or "approach" their victims, which is why cyberstalking is on the rise.
Stalking impacts many, if not all, aspects of a victim's life, including their work, education, housing and mental health. Nearly half of all stalking victims fear not knowing will happen to them next. One in eight employed victims lose time from work and one in seven are forced to move or relocate due to their stalker. Research has documented that "the prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general population, especially if the stalking involves being followed or having one's property destroyed."
The SRC and OVW have developed a
website dedicated to Stalking Awareness Month. It contains resources to help educational institutions, organizations, and other interested groups promote the month with a social media messaging calendar, sample news releases, web banners, posters, and more. In addition, there are fact sheets, quizzes, online courses, reports, brochures and guides for victims. For law enforcement and campus safety officials, specific resources are available such as
Stalking: Problem-Oriented Guide for Policing (PDF),
Creating an Effective Stalking Protocol (PDF), and detailed stalking legislation. The SRC and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault also published a
Model Campus Stalking Policy (PDF) in 2011, which was developed in direct response to colleges and universities looking for assistance on how to address stalking on campus.
For additional resources on stalking, please visit:
- Stalking Resource Center - In 2000, the National Center for Victims of Crime partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women to create the Stalking Resource Center (SRC). Since its inception, the SRC has trained over 100,000 professionals who work with victims in all 50 states, two US Territories, the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, and Germany and provided technical assistance to hundreds of communities seeking to enhance their response to stalking.
- Office on Violence Against Women - The stalking subsection from the Office on Violence Against Women contains information for victims, prosecutors, law enforcement, advocates, judges, and community correction officers.
- Safe Horizon - The largest non-profit victim services agency in the United States, Safe Horizon provides tips for victims including tech safety, access to community programs, and a crime victims hotline.
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Disaster Resilient Universities
(DRU) Overview
Creating a disaster-resilient campus is a complex process that requires communication, coordination, and cooperation. The DRU Network
®
supports this process through it's mission to "facilitate open communication, discussion, and resource-sharing among university/college practitioners charged with making campuses more disaster-resilient." Since 2000, when six schools participated in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Resistant Universities pilot initiative, the DRU Network
®
and concept has continued to evolve. Part of this evolution involved the formation of the University & College Caucus (UCC) under the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Some of the DRU and UCC activities include:
- Disaster Resilient Universities (DRU) Listserv
- DRU Community of Practice and Repository
- UCC Annual Workshop and Webinar Series
- Practitioner-Based Training and Course Development
- Standards & Resilience Crosswalk Tool
- National Intercollegiate Mutual Aid Agreement (NIMAA)
Access the
Disaster Resilient Universities®
Overview (PDF)
for more information on the history of the DRU along with summaries of all DRU activities and resources.
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Click image to download the NFPA's hoverboard safety tips.
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Hoverboards
Rapidly increasing in popularity, the hoverboard is a self-balancing motorized board with one or two wheels that children, teens, and adults can enjoy. Hoverboards create new safety challenges for colleges and universities to consider and recent reports of hoverboards exploding or combusting have also raised safety concerns.
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recently issued
fire safety warnings for hoverboards. NFPA stated some hoverboard fires involved a lithium-ion battery or charger and warn of the following signs of a problem:
- Leaking fluids
- Excessive heat
- Odor
- Sparking
- Smoke
A hoverboard
safety tip sheet (PDF) produced by the NFPA can be downloaded, printed, and distributed widely across campus communities.
If there is a fire or injury incident involving a hoverboard, the NFPA recommends the owner contact the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
.
The CPSC is currently conducting a safety review of hoverboards and investigating complaints of injuries and spontaneous combustion. Several schools and campuses have banned the use, possession, and storage of hoverboards from residence halls or campuses entirely, pending the outcome of this safety review. For an ongoing conversation on hoverboard safety concerns and policy, as well as other campus safety discussions, consider joining the Disaster Resilient Universities® (DRU) Network. You can learn more about the DRU and how to join the conversation in the article above.
Some states classify the boards as motorized vehicles that can't be registered,
leaving those who ride in public at risk of incurring steep fines. Other states and cities have passed legislation regulating public hoverboard riding. California recently passed
legislation that allows hoverboards to be ridden on bike lanes and pathways. The law mandates hoverboard users to be at least 16 years old and wear a helmet when using the board at a speed that does not exceed 15 miles per hour. For more information on laws and regulations, you may search your local or state website or contact your local or state legislators. You may also contact your
U.S. House Representative for information.
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Click to access our online calendar of events.
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Professional Development Opportunities
Title: FERPA Revisited: Informing Professional Practice and Process
Host: American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Commission for Academic Affairs and the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues
Date: January 13, 2015 at 1:00pm EST
Location: Online
Fee: Free
Title: Pedestrian/Bicycle Crash Investigation
Host: Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM)
Dates: February 08-12, 2016
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Fee: Registration fee
Title: Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigation and Adjudication Program
Supported by: National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS)
Dates: February 23-26, 2016
Location: Tampa, FL
Fee: Registration fee
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