Executive director of the Michigan Coalition of Anti-Stalking Harvette Williams describes precautions students should take in the event of a stalking incident.
MSU Safe Place has been flooded with more phone calls than usual this month, with many callers concerned about stalking cases on campus. But MSU Safe Place volunteer and advocacy coordinator Alyssa Baumann said that might be a good thing.
“I don’t think (stalking) is becoming more common, but I think more people are aware that there is support out there and they are reaching out,” Baumann said.
The stream of concern about stalking might be because January is National Stalking Awareness Month, she said.
National Stalking Awareness Month began in 2004 in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of stalking — a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause them to feel fear, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime.
Although MSU Police could not give specific numbers of stalking incidents on campus, at least one incident has been reported within the past year, and college-age students are the most prevalent victims of the crime nationwide.
Stalking support
Harvette Williams, a Southfield, Mich., resident and executive director of the nonprofit organization Michigan Coalition of Anti-Stalking spoke last night at “E! Investigates: Stalkers” — a video presentation and discussion in the Union, sponsored by University Activities Board, MSU Safe Place and the MSU Women’s Resource Center.
As a victim of stalking from 2003-11, Williams said one of her former real estate clients had made a duplicate of her apartment key and entered on multiple occasions, doing “crazy stuff,” including licking her mirror and car, she said.
He eventually was convicted of stalking and served four years behind bars.
Williams, who was featured on the E! show, said she educates her audience on the dangers of stalking and the precautions that should be taken if one feels they are being stalked.
“I usually try to go to the colleges because kids go away to college, and they don’t know what resources are available to them,” Williams said.
According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, 3.4 million adults are stalked each year, and adults between the ages of 18 and 24 experience the highest rate of stalking.
Graduate student Caitlin Tupper attended the event, and said she was happy to support stalking awareness.
Tupper said she provided emotional support to victims she knew and gave them information about resources they could reach out to.
“Just believing them and believing it is a serious threat for them made a huge difference,” Tupper said.
MSU Safe Place and the MSU Women’s Resource Center are two places on campus where students and faculty can turn to for support as they deal with stalking or assault-related incidents.
Williams said educating others about the dangers of stalking is therapeutic.
“I felt like I was the only one when I went through it,” Williams said. “I don’t want people to go through it by themselves.”
Feeling victimized
On Nov. 16, 2011, a 25-year-old female student reported herself as a victim of stalking in Ramp 5 between Trowbridge and Red Cedar roads. It first occurred at about 2 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2011 and continued for about a month, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
The victim reported that an unknown suspect had been stalking her, and the case is under investigation, McGlothian-Taylor said.
But Baumann said victims are not always stalked by strangers, and a majority of the stalking cases brought to MSU Safe Place stem from relationship violence.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
“A lot of times when someone leaves the relationship, someone who is abusive may call them or text them a lot — anything to intimidate them into coming back into the relationship,” Baumann said.
On average, three in four victims are stalked by someone they know, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime.
McGlothian-Taylor said it is important for the victims to make it clear to the stalker when the stalking first occurs that they have crossed a line.
“Make sure they know you don’t want attention from them, and tell them if they don’t stop you will tell the police,” McGlothian-Taylor said.
McGlothian-Taylor said she urges victims of stalking to report the incident as quickly as possible.
Victims of stalking incidents should keep documentation of their schedules and when incidences occur, she said.
“If notes are left … (or) if someone is calling on the telephone, harassing them that way, keep the messages and turn them over to the police to help them build a case,” McGlothian-Taylor said.
Baumann said it is important for victims of stalking to seek resources to help them cope with their experiences because stalking can be such a lethal situation.
Williams said being stalked is an experience that will always be in the back of her mind.
“It never really ends,” Williams said. “As a stalking victim, you are always thinking ‘What are they
going to try to do next?’”
