In Chapel Hill, young women worry about safety as rape remains unsolved
Some female students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say a series of recent incidents has them feeling unsafe on campus and near campus.
Lexy Milliken, a UNC senior, says she and her friends have changed their habits.
"I just felt really safe in Chapel Hill in general, and that whole mood has shifted so much, that now I don’t even feel safe walking five steps to my house," she said.
Milliken lives on North Street, across the street from the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority house where, residents said, a man tried to break in Sunday night. He tried the door, residents said, but it was locked.
"I think for me, and everyone I’m friends with, and all the girls that I know, it’s just really terrifying," Milliken said.
Her friends in the ZTA house called and texted to be sure her door was locked.
"I was so scared, I stayed awake for two hours this morning," she said.
Two incidents so far this year – a rape in the parking deck of the Shortbread Lofts and a report of sexual harassment outside the library – have female students shaken and turning to each other for security.
"I think everything has kind of piled together to create this really tense environment," Milliken said. "I know all of us are extremely worried at all times. We constantly text each other in group chats to make sure we’re OK. It’s come to the point where we say 'I love you' every time we leave each other, because we’re always worried it might be the last time we see each other."
Arden Chaucer, in her second year at Carolina, said, "Being a woman, and being a young woman, safety is definitely something that I’m constantly thinking about."
For UNC junior MaKenna Lagaly, the greatest worry is that police have yet to make an arrest in the rape.
"I think they should find him, because that’s probably the freakiest part, that he’s still out there," she said. "Maybe put more police out at night."
Some students have noticed a stepped-up police presence. It's a layer of protection they hope continues.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, interim chancellor at UNC, said leaders were working to improve campus safety. Last week, he asked his leadership to examine the current state of key fobs and lights to see about any needed improvements.
Asked about the university, campus police and Chapel Hill police, Milliken said, "I think all three need to step up and make sure their students and their residents feel comfortable."
