Reports of stalking are increasing at Iowa State.

Keith Robinder, assistant dean of students and director of Student Assistance and Outreach Services, said his office has had an increase in the number of stalking cases reported to it last year.

“With the implementation of the Sexual Misconduct Policy last year, Student Assistance did have a higher number of reports for stalking,” Robinder said.

The Dean of Students Office believes this is related to the various marketing and outreach efforts to educate the campus community.

“I believe that with the outreach and awareness we’ve set out, such as the ‘Get A Yes’ campaign, the increase is due to students realizing the reports need to be made and the services we promote have made them feel more comfortable in doing so,” said Kipp Van Dyke, assistant director of Student Assistance and Outreach Services.

The new policy broadly defines the behaviors prohibited, including stalking, other forms of sexual exploitation, domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault. The most recent data collected was aggregated as “sexual misconduct,” rather than tracking individual concerns, Robinder said.

Therefore, information specifically on stalking reports isn’t readily available, Robinder said.

When a student reports they are or might have been stalked, the Dean of Students Office provides information on the sexual misconduct policy, reviews the available campus and community resources such as ACCESS, the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, Student Counseling Services or ISU Police for criminal violations or for safety planning.

The student affected and a staff member also will discuss strategies for ending the stalking behavior by requesting a complaint to the police or the Office of Judicial Affairs. 

The Office of Judicial Affairs is located at 1010 Student Services Building along with the Dean of Students Office. 

The Office of Judicial Affairs is responsible for coordinating and administering the judicial processes at Iowa State. This includes receiving reports of alleged misconduct, ensuring that students receive due process and fair treatment throughout the hearing process and maintaining students’ disciplinary records, according to its website.

Robinder said the Dean of Students Office also works with individual students on a case-by-case basis to determine if they need to privatize their directory information, relocate their housing, adjust classes or work schedules, or make any other changes to minimize further contact by the accused stalker. 

An appropriate follow-up is made if the alleged stalker is an ISU student. 

ISU Police and the Dean of Students Office work together when stalking cases are reported, referring students to each others’ services.

“I think we do a very good job at making sure the student involved gets the help that they need and is referred to the right person,” said ISU Police Sgt. Elliott Florer. “We have an increase in amounts of reporting for sexual misconduct including, but not limited to, stalking and the awareness and comfort we display seems to have the greater effect on the increase.”

Students are encouraged to report possible forms of misconduct to either department. Services can be provided based on any action the student wishes to take.