After the capture of suspected serial killer Derrick Todd Lee, students share mixed opinions about whether women still will be aware of their surroundings.
Amber Matthews, a psychology sophomore, said because it took the serial killer task force such a long time to capture Lee, it has become a habit for women to be more aware of the events occurring around them. “Before we had to think about locking our doors and [think] about going out at night. It is a habit now,” Matthews said. “No matter where you go, whether on campus or off, you should always be on guard.”
Yet, animal science senior Josh Callegan expressed a different point of view. Callegan thinks women have let their guard down since Lee’s arrest. Callegan said before Lee’s arrest his girlfriend would have someone accompany her on walks around the University lakes. Now she is more apt to walk alone. Callegan also stated his sister exhibits the same behavior. Before Lee’s capture she would not stay at home by herself. Now she does not mind being home alone, Callegan said.
Computer Science freshman Jared Avery expressed a similar point of view.
“[Women] will probably let their guard down because they will feel a sense of security,” Avery said.
Kim Munro, Wellness Education Department coordinator, said she understands both points of view. Munro said people are most guarded when they perceive certain situations or people as a direct threat. “When we don’t feel threatened, we are less likely to stay aware,” Munro said. Munro said when news of the serial killer was more common, women had to be aware of where they went and what they did.
LSUPD Captain Mark Shaw said people must be aware of their surroundings. Awareness is the most vital aspect when protecting ourselves, Shaw said.
LSUPD hopes that women have learned to not only be aware, but also to employ common sense when choosing to do certain activities like parking under street lamps and not going to the ATM at night, said Shaw.
Amber Vlasnik, manager of the Women’s Center, said women need to find a balance in their life. Women should be aware, but should not limit themselves to just saying inside of their homes. They should live smarter lives, not smaller lives, said Vlasnik.
There are certain things women can do to protect themselves, like taking registration papers out of the glove compartment when leaving their cars, said Vlasnik.
Munro adds women should not leave messages on home answering machines that indicate they live alone.
Amanda Ball, a marketing senior, said a lot of people are looking over their shoulders and taking self-defense classes.
“We take precautions, but I think that after a while some of us will drop our guard,” said Candice Oubre, a history junior.
Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes have seen a steady drop in enrollment during the spring semester, Munro said. In February RAD had 10 to 15 students taking the class, and there were even some classes that had to be canceled because of the low enrollment, said Charlotte Pringle, Wellness Education office manager and instructor of advanced and basic RAD classes.
However, when the serial killer was most present, there were 60 people signing up to join the class, Pringle said. She was surprised when people started calling to take the RAD classes after Lee’s arrest.
Shaw said the drop in enrollment for RAD classes occurred because, at the time, the serial killer case was in the media so much. After a while it all just became another part of life, and people have just gone back to living, said Shaw.
Graduate school instructor George Schloegel said he is concerned that women will let their guard down and expose themselves to different people.
“The danger is still there, ” said Schloegel.
Shaw said it is human nature for people to relax when a crisis is over, but it is important to remain alert and cautious.
Vlasnik believes it is important to remember the serial killer was not and is not the only threat to the community. Most people fail to acknowledge we are most likely to be assaulted by someone we know and that the best weapons people can use are on their body, said Munro
Munro said it is important for women to pay attention to their gut feelings. He said victims of attacks had a gut feeling something was wrong when they were attacked.
“It is important to pay attention to our gut instincts, if something doesn’t feel right we need to use our instincts, ” Munro said. “It [gut instincts] is the best weapon we have.