Each year in the United States, 1.4 million men and women are stalked. Thirteen percent of college women are stalked during a six-to-nine month period. These were just some facts discussed Monday night during a presentation called "When Love Won't Quit: Stalking."
Doris Kirkpatrick and Erin Snyder, doctoral students in the Department of Counseling Psychology, spoke as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
Snyder said they wanted to do the presentation to educate people about a form of sexual assault not often known about.
"[Stalking] affects a lot of people, but does not often get reported because people feel it is unimportant and does not affect them," she said.
Indiana law defines stalking as "a knowing or an intentional course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another person that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated or threatened and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, or threatened. The term does not include statutorily or constitutionally-protected activity."
Kirkpatrick said she had done research on stalking for her graduate work and hoped people learned a lot about the subject.
Stalking is often stereotyped as a masculine activity, but women do it to, Snyder and Kirkpatrick said.
People who are stalked often feel fearful, vulnerable and unsafe, experience stress, have trouble sleeping and feel depressed or hopeless, they said.
People who are stalkers tend to have certain characteristics including over-investing in things, being hyperattentive, jealousy, offering unsolicited help when first meeting a person, having no significant relationships outside the stalking relationship and having sociopathic thinking.
Phil Gran, a senior telecommunications major, said he thought Snyder and Kirkpatrick gave an informative presentation and touched on an interesting topic that people should know about. He said he learned things he did not realize should be done if someone is being stalked.
"I thought it was interesting to hear you should not change your phone number if you are being stalked," Gran said. "Changing your number seems like such a natural reaction."
Snyder and Kirkpatrick said people who change their phone number make catching the stalker and providing evidence of how many times the he or she called more difficult for the police.
In the presentation they said specific steps should be taken to help prevent or stop stalking.
Formally notify the stalker to stop, provide the police with taped messages or phone calls and identifying information and develop a support system with people you can talk to, they said. Students should not change their phone numbers but instead get a new phone line or Caller ID and screen their calls. Students need to let people know where they are going, get a restraining order or get a cell phone to protect their safety.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
