Safety awareness at top of the mind at Merced colleges

As college students in Merced followed news about the mass shooting at an Oregon community college this week, officials at UC Merced and Merced College said they are taking steps to secure their campuses through increased awareness and training and revised guidance on how to spot and report problems.

Nine people were killed Thursday when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., before he was killed in a shootout with police, authorities said.

Students on campus at Merced College on Friday said they had heard of the shooting in Oregon and grieved for the families of the victims. Leanne Huber, 20, of Atwater said she first thought of the families and then wondered if it could happen at Merced College.

“I’ve thought about it, but I feel safe here,” the child development major said.

Kenny Espinosa, who moved to Merced from Hayward about a dozen years ago, said he wasn’t so sure about his safety. He said violence has increased in Merced since when he was a child, so there’s no reason it couldn’t spill onto campus.

“What was a small problem is starting to be more of an issue,” the 20-year-old student said.

Sgt. Vince Gallagher, director of law enforcement at Merced College, said campus police maintain several measures to keep the school safe and be aware of a potential threat with a weapon, measures the police can use to try to prevent a mass shooting.

He said the police and other staff train for “active shooters.” The campus also has armed each officer with a high-powered assault rifle, a service weapon and a less lethal shotgun.

“In today’s law enforcement, you have to be able to match what the bad guy has,” he said.

Security cameras cover the campus, he said, and a group meets regularly to discuss any students who have shown behavioral problems. The campus is also equipped with alert systems, and police remain visible in marked cars.

Gallagher also noted that the college contracts with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, which means the campus has access to all the services the office provides. “We have a lot of tools that any agency in California has,” he said.

Figures from 2014 show few crimes were reported at Merced College, but the school reported two robberies and one vehicle theft, as well as an incident of domestic violence on campus. That statistic is recorded by the report for the first time this year under the Violence Against Women Act of 2013.

The federal Clery Act requires colleges and universities to report crimes that happen on campus and are reported to campus authorities, as well as crimes within the school’s geographical area.

Gallagher said the campus has its share of petty thefts and misdemeanors.

“We are happy to be low on our reportable for Clery Act crimes,” he said.

A federal report issued this week showed UC Merced experienced low rates of overall crime last year but saw an increase in reports of stalking and incidents related to alcohol and drugs.

The U.S. Department of Education said UC Merced alcohol referrals rose to 70 in 2014 from 41 the previous year. Drug abuse violations rose slightly to 28 in 2014. The Merced campus had one rape reported on campus grounds, down from three in 2013. However, it reported four stalking incidents, up from one the year before.

The university considers stalking to be any unwanted behavior that causes a student to feel afraid, said Kari Mansager, director of UC Merced Campus Advocacy Resources and Education Office. That could include following someone around, but stalking can also mean someone is sending a student inappropriate pictures or making threats, she said.

She said the numbers are not necessarily indicative of an increase, but rather students are more willing to report the unwanted behavior.

“People know now that it is not OK, and they know where to get help,” she said.

The university puts all of its incoming students through an orientation that includes lessons on stalking, sexual assault and other crimes. She said people often casually or jokingly use the word “stalking,” and that can make students less likely to think of it as a crime.

“Stalking is one of the most challenging crimes to get people to take seriously,” she said. “It’s because it’s used so commonly.”

Student government on campus has also taken up a “yes means yes” campaign, which refers to the push to make sure sex is consensual. The campaign tells students that sex should include “active and enthusiastic” consent, Mansager said.

The idea is that just because the student didn’t say “no” does not make it consensual. Also, an unconscious student would be in no condition to participate.

Lt. Chou Her of the UC Merced police said the increase in alcohol referrals was a reflection of the campus efforts to step up enforcement. For the first time last year, he said, UC police worked with Merced police to track students who were reported for being disruptive or cited while intoxicated within the city.

California State University, Stanislaus, reported seven rapes in 2014, up from two the year before and one in 2012, which the university said reflects a campus campaign to increase reporting. All occurred in dorms, according to the federal report.

The one other category that rose sharply was referrals for liquor law violations. From 69 in 2013, the number rose to 91 referrals in 2014, about two-thirds of which were in dorms.

At Modesto Junior College, property crimes were down but violent crime rose in 2014. The campus reported three forcible sexual assaults, four aggravated assaults, one robbery and an incident of dating violence.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Safety awareness at top of the mind at Merced colleges."