Four Rapes in Three Weeks at Cal State San Marcos Spark Student Safety Petition

Four rapes were reported at Cal State San Marcos in the first three weeks of fall term. A student petition is now demanding greater security across campus.

Student Petition Demands Action After Four Rapes Reported at Cal State San Marcos

Four rapes were reported at California State University San Marcos within the first three weeks of the fall semester, NY Post Metro reports, prompting a student-led petition calling for a stronger security presence on campus.

The incidents occurred on Sept. 5, Sept. 6, Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. They were reported at three locations: The Quad, University Village Apartments and Black Oak Hall. A reported breaking and entering combined with a separate sexual assault were also logged during the same period.

A Cal State San Marcos student filed the petition on Change.org, dated Sept. 21, after she and other female students said they had reached out to the Associate Vice President for Campus Security without receiving a response.

"As women, we have the right to a safe education just as much as the rest of the student body," she wrote in the petition.

The filing calls on university officials to increase security in parking lots, the Quad and other poorly lit areas, and demands "complete transparency" about what steps administrators plan to take. The student argued that women should not be left to protect themselves through individual precautions.

"CSUSM continues to propose reactive solutions to an active problem," she wrote.

CSUSM spokesperson Jerry McCormick told the Post the four reports were not believed to be connected and that the people involved knew one another in each case.

"Sexual assault is never acceptable and is never the survivor's fault. Consent must be affirmative, voluntary and ongoing," McCormick said.

The university issued campus safety alerts for each incident under the federal Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. McCormick also noted that the opening weeks of the academic year are widely regarded as a high-risk period for sexual violence on college campuses.

"The first six weeks of the fall semester at universities across the nation are often called the 'Red Zone,' when the risk of campus sexual violence is elevated," he said.

The petition pushes back against that framing, arguing that awareness campaigns and individual precautions are insufficient and that university officials must take a more active role in preventing violence.

"We should not carry the full responsibility for taking extra careful precautions because of the disgusting actions of other students," the petition states.

Source: NY Post Metro