Harassment is alive and well on the Iowa State campus, though many students may not even realize what they are doing is illegal.

Jerry Stewart, associate director of Department of Public Safety, said, “Most people don’t understand that intimidation is illegal.”

He said phone calls, handwritten letters and especially electronic mail are possible tools for various types of harassment crimes — including sexual harassment.

“Intimidation by telephone is still the most popular method and alcohol is usually a factor when making prank or harassing calls,” he said.

DPS does not use the word “harassment.” Instead “intimidation” is used to describe most offenses dealing with what is commonly known as harassment.

Though intimidation is common at ISU, Stewart said there are very few cases in which intimidators actually make personal contact and usually no one is physically harmed.

According to DPS statistics, there were 31 cases of intimidation in 1993. That number skyrocketed over the following two years to 132 in 1994, and 117 in 1995.

Stewart said intimidation statistics commonly vary from year to year without any hard-and-fast cause. But due to new technologies such as e-mail, there are more cases of intimidation in that area, which in turn affects the overall numbers.

Many people use the computer labs on campus to send threatening e-mail instead of using personal computers. But, Stewart said, both can be traced to the mailer and phone calls can be traced as well.

Michael Bowman, assistant director of the Computation Center in Durham Hall, said, “When an offense is discovered on e-mail, a complaint is filed, and the identity of the sender is handed over to DPS. Threatening e-mail is a violation of ISU’s code of computer ethics.”

From the Computation Center the mail goes to DPS, and and officials there track down the offender and fill out a report on that individual, Bowman said.

Telephone offenders may use another phone instead of the phone which is under their own identity as a way to elude police.

“People in the residence halls are responsible for the use of their own phone and should not let other people use their phone,” Stewart said.

The person making the call can be prosecuted, as well as the person who has the phone in his or her name.

Some people pose as a company or organization representative to obtain social security numbers, addresses or phone numbers. After this information is obtained, the it’s not uncommon for the harasser to charge unwanted items.

Stewart said it is rare to be intimidated by a stranger.

DPS officials say no incident of intimidation is minor.