The presumed death of Mollie Tibbetts has led campus officials to remind students of resources they can access if they need support or are worried about their safety.  

“This tragedy hits extremely close to home, and we understand students and members of the campus community may feel deep sorrow and sadness, as well as vulnerability and fear,” according to Martino Harmon, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, in a written statement.

Harmon said a list of resources including Student Counseling Services, Thielen Student Health Center, Office of Multicultural Affairs, The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center have been sent to academic advisers’ emails across campus.

“We are just trying to act on the united front so if an academic adviser is talking to a student, they would want to direct them to the same kind of services,” Harmon said. “We don’t really want to start adding different services or making it confusing or hard for students to know where to go.”

Harmon also said the students who attended Tibbetts’ high school received a direct email from Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Vernon Hurte.

At Iowa State, Michael Newton, Chief of Police, said the police department has received more calls from parents, rather than students, concerned about what the department is doing for campus safety.

In response to their calls, Newton explains the number of safety features they have on campus.

“We have our police officers out there, we do training for faculty, staff and students on how to take care of yourself, and how to take an active role in your own personal safety,” Newton said. “SafeRide is super popular, we explain that to the parents who call us and have their student use SafeRide.”

If students need more guidance for resources on where to get help, Harmon said the Dean of Students office is the best place to start.

“If anybody is not sure, the Dean of Students office is the place to go because they can get them steered in the right direction,” Harmon said.