California college president releases unprecedented video after four rapes in three weeks

The president of a California college that has been rocked by four rapes in the first three weeks of term has revealed she is stepping up security on campus after a student backlash.

California State University San Marcos president Ellen Neufeldt said the attacks were “deeply personal” to her due to her previous job working around advocacy, education and support for survivors.

She made a stunning intervention into the saga after a female student set up a petition demanding more security and support for victims.

Girls on campus were terrified this week after a report emerged showing four women had been raped at the college since the beginning of term.

The attacks occurred mainly in campus accommodation and officials believed they were perpetrated by people who already knew their victims.

Neufeldt said in the video: “[I] wanted to come to you personally this morning to address the recent reports around sexual assault on our university campus.”

She says campus police, housing staff, Title IX staff “and so many more” are ready to help and are already in action.

Neufeldt said what she finds most disheartening is that “most of these cases happen in a place or space where the person is known to the victim,” whether occurring in a private space or at a social event.

She continued: “And I want to speak directly to the survivors out there — if these notices have caused trauma, I can completely understand that and I want you to know there’s resources for you.

“If you have experienced sexual assault, harassment, recently or in the past, there’s a place for you to go whether you want a listening ear, whether you want a report — whatever it is that’s right for you, we’re here for you.”

She ensured parents and community members that the university’s work in preventing and addressing sexual assault “will never stop” and that the university will openly respond and work together when these cases occur.

She added: “We want to know. We want to help. We are going to be there. And I want you to know that we’re on it right now in this minute and we’ll continue to be.”

Research gathered by the American Psychological Association has found that 50% of campus sexual assaults occur during the Red Zone, especially for students who are new to campus.

Neufeldt touched on this topic, saying this trend across university campuses across the nation at the start of the school year “is not okay,” adding, “I want you to know that we’re doubling down.”

Her intervention comes after a Cal State San Marcos student launched a petition demanding an increased security presence after the string of reports left women on campus increasingly concerned about sexual violence.

The student behind the petition claimed she and other female students had reached out to the associate vice president for Campus Security but had not received a response as of September 21.

University officials said another person reported being sexually assaulted after someone broke into their dorm on that day.

CSUSM spokesperson Jerry McCormick noted that the opening weeks of an academic year are considered particularly vulnerable 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,” McCormick previously told The California Post.

All CSUSM students are required to complete sexual assault training annually, called “Title IX and You, Building a Culture of Care,” according to the university’s Title IX website.

The course examines how to recognize and report sexual assault and informs students about available resources, both on and off campus.

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