When students hear about a sexual assault crime on campus from anyone other than the school  it poses the question, “What else has happened that students do not know about?”

An incident that occurred in Hart Hall on Sept. 8, was reported on Sept. 12 to University Police. When an article was published in The Oswegonian, students were outraged that the campus did not send out an email informing students. The Student Association recently responded by passing a bill that would require the school to notify students whenever a sexual assault occurs on campus. Oswego State President Deborah Stanley will be presented the bill and will hopefully pass it.

In this day and age, campuses seem to be protecting offenders because they are concerned about getting bad publicity for the school. It is shocking that Oswego State is on that list, trying to cover up a sexual assault. Maybe they did not mean to deliberately cover it up, but it should be required to notify students when a sexual assault occurs. 

According to the Clery Center for Security on Campus, the Jeanne Clery Act was passed in 1990, requiring “campuses that receive federal funding to share information about crime on campus and their efforts to improve campus safety as well as inform the public of crime in or around campus.”

In 2015, when a sexual assault occurred at the end of October, President Stanley sent out an email informing students on Oct. 30, within a week of the sexual assault.

“Our University Police conducted the investigation with care and dedication to the safety of our students and community, and they have arrested a student,” the email read. “The campus community is not believed to be at risk.”

The rape that occurred in Hart Hall was reported on Sept. 12.  The Oswegonian published an article on Sept. 23. Eleven days after the rape was reported, administration still had not informed students.

Why? Was this assault less important than any of the other ones that have occurred? Is the school concerned about getting bad publicity?

President Stanley, for the safety of the students, this bill should be passed. If you do not pass it, I will be one of many students knocking on your office door and meeting with you asking what else the campus has not informed the students of.

The fact that this occurred and administration did not inform the students poses many questions. Is this the only tim the administration was not the first one to notify students of a sexual assault on campus? Is this the only time that students living in the building where the sexual assault occurred were not notified? Is this the only time, President Stanley?

We are outraged that students were not made aware. Students living down the hall from where the sexual assault occurred were not told anything happened. Students from Hart Hall are scared. An awful thing happened under their roof and they had no idea.

Victims definitely have a right to not report an incident and to not speak up about what occurred. But if the victim does report it, students on campus should know what occurred and in what building.

President Stanley, we are asking you to understand that as students, we have a right to know and you are required to tell us.