Editor,
It was suggested I write in to explain why I am leaving UNM for UCCS this coming fall. It came to my attention that the UNM president has been less than agreeable when it comes to how assault, rape and other forms of violence are being handled. So, in an attempt to show that everything is not “okay” and “fine” here, let me tell you why I am leaving UNM.
Last summer I was beyond excited to be leaving Colorado for a new place, to try living on my own. I came here a week early to Rush and within that first week I was catcalled, visually undressed and made to feel like my body was not mine. A little taken aback by this new society I kept going, trying to pretend that it was just college and this happens everywhere.
A couple of weeks later I was working with my new sisters on our philanthropy and a man came over with a security guard and he just kept repeating, “I love them, I love them, I love them”. The guard said that if the man made any move he would have to call campus police.
He (the man) forced himself next to me and grabbed my shoulder before my sisters pulled me out of the way. It was at this point that the guard finally saw fit to call campus police. I don’t know what led to him coming over to us or why the guard was with him originally, but in retrospect, I think the police should have been called much sooner.
Later that evening I got back to my room and started crying because I had not been handled in such a way in a very long time. It hit a “trigger” and scared me. My roommate and I went to the police station and it took around 15 minutes being there to grab anyone’s attention, let alone find anyone.
When we did tell someone all the response I received was that there was nothing they could do. Nothing? Nothing? Really? I was grabbed and made to feel unsafe on a self-titled “safe” campus.
The catcalling, staring, undressing, constant LoboAlerts and fear followed me for a month or so and then I saw the man again. He was at Zimmerman, a place where I shouldn’t have to worry about my safety while doing my homework. He saw me too, but just stared as I did my best to hurry out.
I shouldn’t feel threatened, I shouldn’t feel like I have to hide myself on school grounds because if I don’t I could get hurt in more ways than one. I made the decision to transfer. I decided, f--- it, screw this place!
It’s dangerous and ridiculous the amount of shit men and women have to be put through here and the fact that the president is saying that it is essentially nonsense. F--- that.
So there you go, I’m leaving to go back to the place I wanted to get out of originally because I’d prefer to be living at home with my parents than to be free here and worry about my life every second of every day.
F--- UNM.
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Hana Hahn
Former UNM student
