UMass students say they feel security on campus is tight.
AMHERST — Shortly after midnight on Oct. 13, a University of Massachusetts student signed in three teens she did not know to a campus dormitory, a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.
Those three teens and a fourth who never signed in are now charged with rape.
In the wake of that incident, UMass officials are reviewing residence hall security to see whether changes must be made.
Officials are also looking at whether the student who let these three teens in will be disciplined. The four charged are not UMass students.
Pittsfield residents Emmanuel Toffee Bile, 18, Justin A. King, 18, Caleb Womack, 17, and Adam T. Liccardi, 18 were arrested Friday after a nearly weeklong UMass police investigation. All denied charges in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown Monday. All four are being held on $10,000 bail. Liccardi, meanwhile, is slated to go to trial in the Berkshires on separate assault and battery charges.
On campus over the next few weeks, “We will undertake a comprehensive review of our residence hall security,” said UMass spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski. In the meantime, resident directors will hold floor meetings to reiterate the security policy, which students are told about when they first arrive on campus.
That policy means don’t let people “tailgate” behind when entering a dorm and signing in only guests whom the resident knows.
Blaguszewski said there “is printed material to really emphasize they are responsible for any guests.”
This incident “is a very strong example of why you really need to be careful. There are consequences for signing in people into the building. You’re letting guests into your home.”
And he said, “as a resident in a resident hall you need to exercise good judgment.”
The alleged victim knew one of the four and had texted that she did not want them to come to campus, Jennifer Suhl, chief of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, said in court. They came anyway and were let it. They then went to the victim’s dorm room, which was not locked and waited for her to return, she said.
She had a couple of beers prior to returning, she said, and all of them drank vodka in her room along with two of her friends. The friends left and the victim was allegedly attacked and raped by all four, Suhl said.
Despite the attack, women on campus said they feel safe and feel that for the most part security is good, especially at night when guests have to sign in
During the day, it’s easy to slip in behind another student and gain access to various dorms. At night, though, security monitors sign in guests and guests must present photo identification.
“I feel safe at UMass,” said Maura Coyle, a junior from Lynn. And while the incident was horrible, she said, “Given the circumstance (of what happened), it wasn’t a stranger,” she said.
Coyle said she never signs in someone she doesn’t know, and neither do her friends. “It’s kind of understood.” She said students are concerned about theft. She said she always locks her door. “People are encouraged to lock their doors.”
But she said it can be awkward when someone is waiting to enter the dorm and wants to follow behind. Still, she feels there are enough checks in place to keep unwanted guests out of the dorms.
Kyra Simpson, a first-year student from California, lives in the high-rise Kennedy dorm. She said she never signs in someone she doesn’t know, something that was emphasized when she first came to campus. She hadn’t heard about the rape and said she feels safe.
Elisha Bettencourt from Middletown, Conn. agrees. “Security is really tight.” She said “It’s especially secure after 8 p.m.”
While UMass police won’t say whether alcohol played a factor in the alleged attack, it was clear from court testimony that all were drinking.
With safety paramount, UMass officials plan to look at the safety review “in the social context in which such an incident occurs,” Blaguszewski said.
The Student Government Association issued a statement Monday stating that “this tragedy has shocked our community and I want to state that neither the Student Body nor the University will stand by and let these actions go unnoticed. We are committed to providing a safe environment to all students and community members and will work tirelessly to ensure that we maintain this environment.”