Police are still searching for a suspect in three recent incidents of a man masturbating in front of female students’ residence hall windows, but University officials believe the same man is responsible for all incidents.
Eugene police and the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday they haven’t received a clear description of the perpetrator. The Eugene Police Department has sent semen samples from one of the incidents to the Oregon State Patrol crime lab, but it “could be a while” before results come back, EPD spokeswoman Pam Alejandre said.
The last two incidents occurred during the weekend at neighboring rooms in Clark Hall and were preceded by similar incident at Dunn Hall on Thursday, Jan. 31. The most recent incidents occurred about 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, and at 2 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25.
After Friday’s incident, officers were able to take a semen sample off the room window.
University Housing director Mike Eyster said the University is proceeding as if the three incidents, plus another Friday night where a man was seen masturbating in Pioneer Cemetery, were performed by the same man.
DPS director Tom Fitzpatrick said he plans to increase patrols around the residence halls.
The most recent incident happened at the window of Beth Broadbent, who was reading in her Clark Hall room early Monday morning when the man appeared at her window and began masturbating on it.
“It was totally unbelievable,” said Broadbent. “I was like, ‘Is this real?’”
Broadbent woke her roommate and then shouted at the man, who ignored her and continued masturbating. She then contacted her resident assistant, George Fowler, who quickly ran outside. The man at Broadbent’s window ran away when he saw Fowler.
Law enforcement officials are treating the man’s activities as indecent exposure, a misdemeanor under Oregon law. But many women’s advocates around campus consider the charge inadequate.
Project Saferide co-director Nikki Fancher said Oregon laws are flawed and should treat such incidents as sex crimes.
“It is my opinion that anytime someone forces you to witness sexual actions, it’s a sex crime,” she said.
University student Erin Pettigrew, who leads a Women’s Studies 101 discussion group and whom Broadbent told about the incident, said of the laws, “I’m not trying to be puritanical, but putting a penis against someone’s window is just not cool.”
Fancher and Pettigrew said the University and organizations within it purposely keep such incidents underpublicized to protect the University’s image.
“Quite frankly, I think the lack of response (from University administration) has confirmed my previous suspicion that they’re not really interested in protecting women,” Pettigrew said.
Anne Leavitt, the University associate vice president in charge of student affairs, said the school intentionally publicizes criminal instances, especially when a trend begins to develop.
“We put them on all the buildings, all the entrances and all over housing,” Leavitt said.
Broadbent said the incident is another reason she feels unsafe on campus.
“I feel like I’m at a high risk living in the dorms, and at the University,” she said. “I don’t like feeling like I can’t walk to my bathroom.”
Broadbent also said she thinks DPS officers investigating the scene Monday morning didn’t take the situation seriously.
“Some of the cops take this lightly, and I don’t think this should be taken lightly,” she said. “They told me, ‘Just make sure when you go outside you have someone with you.’ Well, that’s nothing. There’s got to be more to it than that.”
Fitzpatrick said he can’t respond to Broadbent’s statements without first talking with her.
“If there are problems, we’re certainly willing to address them if she comes to the department,” he said. “We do care, obviously.”