Editor,
I’m writing to express my shock at the way the latest campus rape story was presented in the July 12-18 Daily Lobo.
In the article, the police lieutenant was quoted as saying, “Women need to be aware of their surroundings and not put themselves in situations where they increase the possibility of harm for themselves ... [Women] need to be careful who they associate with and what parties they attend.”
How dare you send a message to women that we must run our lives by the fear of getting raped? I feel that I, as a student and a human being, have a right to feel safe on this campus and that I have a right not to be raped.
Why should I have to impose rules on my freedom — to have friends, go to parties and to walk around on campus by myself — because rapists are not dealt with properly?
Why should I have to pay for the depravity of others?
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Why were tips not given to men about how to prevent rape? After all, they seem to be the ones causing it. Rape is a felony just like murder. I just wonder why the Daily Lobo and the police do not treat it that way.
I also think reporting on the consensual sexual acts of the victim was entirely inappropriate. The only reason that one would even mention those acts in a rape case is to imply that the victim is partially to blame. No one deserves to be raped.
And the lieutenant’s condescending “tips” to women on how not to get raped only drives that message home.
Please be more thoughtful with your reporting in the future.
-Amanda Burghard
UNM student
