Three recent incidents of a man masturbating outside female students’ residence hall windows prompted the Department of Public Safety and University Housing to post fliers around campus Thursday afternoon informing students of the occurrences.
“Hopefully with these efforts we’ll make people aware of what’s going on, and we’ll be notified if any suspicious people are seen,” DPS director Tom Fitzpatrick said.
University officials believe the same man is responsible for all three incidents, but DPS and the Eugene Police Department say they have no suspects.
The most recent incidents took place at neighboring rooms in Clark Hall last weekend, and were preceded by an incident Jan. 31 around 8 p.m. at Hamilton Complex (“Police suspect same man is behind campus masturbation incidents,” ODE, 2/28).
DPS distributed fliers to announce that the incidents took place and give safety tips.
They will “help (people on campus) avoid the perpetrator or help us catch him,” Fitzpatrick said.
University Housing’s fliers give basic reminders such as “lock your door at night” and “don’t allow strangers in the building.”
“It’s important for students to realize they can have a major impact on the safety of their surroundings,” University Housing director Mike Eyster said.
Fitzpatrick and Eyster encouraged students to notify DPS if they notice anything suspicious. The DPS emergency line is 346-6666, and the non-emergency line, to be used if there is no immediate threat, is 346-5444.

— Marty Toohey