Stalking is also high among college women with 13.1 percent of women being stalked; but experts believe the number is much higher with many incidents of stalking, rape and sexual assaults not being reported. The study also finds that many of the women who experience such violence are Caucasian.

Donna Barry, chair of the Campus Violence Coalition attributes these numbers will change as we see more and more Latinas and ethnic women applying to college. “It’s hard to gauge if women of different ethnic backgrounds are being assaulted more than Caucasians because sexual violence is the most underreported violence across America,” she says. “But women of other cultures find it very difficult because of stigmas they may face in there communities.”

Latinas should also be aware that stalking has become an increasing problem on campuses. Alison Kiss, director of Programs at Security on Campus Inc., says that “stalking is easier at a college campus because you have an enclosed environment where students follow the same schedule on a daily basis.” A common misconception among the public is that alcohol and drugs are the main reasons for such behaviors, particularly in sexual violence however, while they do play a role that is not the main reason for the attacks. For many students the stigma of not fitting into their new community, peer pressure, the lack of support system they would normally find at home, can all play a role in students making bad choices both as a victim or assailant. Barry says “college is a community and the desire to belong to that community is very strong. I’ve heard over and over again from victims, the reason for not reporting the crime is because they don’t consider it to be rape or sexual assault since it was not a stranger who attacked them, instead someone they know.”

Universities and colleges are required to follow the Jeanne Clery Act, a federal law that requires higher education institutions to disclose crime stats on and around campuses. The act is named after Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old college freshman who was raped and murdered in 1986 while she slept in her dorm room. The Department of Justice also has a federal grant given to universities and colleges across the nation to help educate their students implement safety measures and advocacy against violence. College campuses across the U.S. are taking violence on campus very seriously and are taking a more pro-active role in changing the culture of silence on campus. One website to visit is www.securityoncampus.org a non-profit organization that was started by the Cleary family in response to their daughter’s murder.

Ida Castro, VP of Social Justice and Diversity at the Commonwealth Medical College.	Donna Barry, chair of the Campus Violence Coalition.

For many young people, going to college means freedom, freedom they aren’t accustomed too. This is especially true for Latinas, who tend to come from tight knit families and may not be accustomed to that level of independence. In some cases their families don’t want them to further their education. We saw it in “Real Women Have Curves” where America Ferrera’s character was encouraged to stay home and work instead of getting a higher education. But that is changing with more institutions reaching out to the Latino communities. Books such as, Latinos in College: Your Guide to Success by Mariela Dabbah is a step by step guide on how to succeed in college. Some Colleges and Universities are reaching out to Latinas by offerings a great support system and low crime stats. Two of those are Mount Saint Mary’s in Los Angeles California and The Commonwealth Medical College.

Mount St. Mary’s College – a predominately all girl Catholic College with men enrolled in their music, nursing and graduate programs – is a rare gem in the higher education system. Their outreach starts at the high school level through the Ambassador Program, a program started in 1991 by Latina students who wanted to give back to their communities. The ambassadors spend 15-20 hours a week at High Schools in low-income communities helping and encouraging students to attend college. They help students fill out college and financial aid applications, sometimes visiting with the parents and explain the importance of a higher education. Bernadette Robert, Assistant VP of Student Affairs and Community Engagement says “we realized that it was an under serviced community that needed attention and our students were the ones who initiated that program and we absolutely backed them, 95 percent of our ambassadors are Latina. This program is to help Latinos get into higher learning institutions it is not recruitment for Mt. St Mary’s.” Mt. St. Mary’s enrollment is over 40 percent Latina with a 57 percent graduation rate. For those students who don’t have the best high school grades, they encourage them to apply to the two year program which involves mentoring, tutoring and allows the student to up their GPA and go on to the four year program. “Even though we are a private institution we are absolutely committed to education and by mentoring, setting goals and then ultimately reaching that goal and becoming a role model is what makes our program so successful,” says Robert. As for safety, the school has had no incidents on its campus. The school does provide counseling and education on domestic, sexual and simple assault and self defense classes for its students.

The Commonwealth Medical College is only a year old with 65 students in which 4 percent are Latinos but their commitment to recruiting more Latina/os is very serious. “We have a great interest in recruiting Latinas to develop family practitioners, who will then serve in Latino communities, especially since there is an emerging Latino population in Northern Pennsylvania. Our goal is to create a pipeline program that extends to grammar school children, to excite them about science, attending college so that they will want to come to our Medical school,” says Ida Castro, VP of Social Justice and Diversity. The school is currently recruiting in various states such as Texas and New York as well as building an initiative with the University in Puerto Rico to allow those students, if they meet certain criteria, to intern at the school and or eventually attend. The school has had no incidents of crime on campus and the administration is directly involved with the students. One of the programs the college offers is an on call weekly faculty member. The students have access to this particular faculty member to help them out in any situation including emergencies. When asked what her thoughts were on Latina’s pursuing their education, the former college professor says “focus on your inner strengths, know who you are don’t let others define you, figure out what you want for success and it will become clear.”

Latinas are no more vulnerable to violence on college campuses than any other group of women. However, it is important to remember that you should be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts and that there is always help on and off campus. If a major act of violence happens on your campus, it’s important to have a plan. Know who to contact in case of an emergency.

Organization to contact if you need help… • National Center for Victims of Crime www.ncvc.org • Help line: 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255) • Safe Horizon www.safehorizon.org • Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE (4673) • Crime Victims Hotline: 1-866-689-HELP (4357) • Rape, Sexual Assault and Incest Hotline: 212-227-3000 • TDD phone number for all hotlines: 1-866-604-5350

By Eneida I. DelValle