SBU responds to alleged rape

An alleged rape in Devereux Hall early Saturday morning has created concern for the safety of current and prospective St. Bonaventure University students.According to Rick Trietley, vice provost for student life, sophomore William Markey, a resident of Francis Hall, entered Devereux Hall around 3 a.m. Saturday after a friend admitted him as a guest. Markey proceeded to allegedly force nonconsensual intercourse with a Devereux resident whose roommate was not present.

Allegany police arrested Markey Saturday evening and charged him with third-degree rape. He has been banned from entering campus for any reason.

Jim DiRisio, director of admissions, said his first concern rests with the people involved in the incident above everything else. Beyond that, DiRisio said he thinks families will recognize the allegation as an isolated incident.

"It's hard to know exactly why a student comes to Bonaventure to begin with, so it's a complex decision on the student's part," DiRisio said. "I don't think that families will see this incident as a reflection of the Bonaventure brand or what Bonaventure is about in a general sense because it is a highly unusual event for us."

DiRisio explained how prospective students and newly enrolled freshmen are updated on safety procedures early in the college experience. He said that offers no indictment to those involved in the alleged incident Saturday morning, but instead serves to settle the nerves of students and parents looking at St. Bonaventure.

"We talk about the fact that when a student comes in for orientation, and even when they come in to Welcome Days, we do education with our students to make them aware of the possible threats that may be out there and to help them be accountable for their own safety," DiRisio said.

Even with that education, some St. Bonaventure students still find themselves concerned for their well being following last weekend's events.

Sophomore Meghan Reno also lives in Devereux Hall. She said she now feels differently about her safety than she had in the past.

"I do feel a little more uncomfortable," Reno said. "I'm usually not afraid to really walk around by myself, but now that it's happened, it seems like it's easier for people to just get into the building."

Trietley addressed the issue of residence hall access during a press conference Wednesday. Unlike other residence halls on campus, the doors to individual floors in Devereux are open at all times.

"Dev is our only residence hall, at this time, that has card access to enter from the outside of the building," Trietley said. "When that decision was made, at that time it was basically decided that the individual floors didn't need additional lockdown. In light of this, we're looking hard at whether we need to establish that in Dev."

Sophomore Mary Margaret Schumer lives in nearby Doyle Hall and also expressed concerns over her safety in light of the recent incident. Schumer's roommate left to spend a semester studying abroad, so she now takes more precautions to protect herself, she said.

"Some of my friends are making sure that either they stay with me more or I stay with other people," Schumer said. "I also started locking my door when I'm in my room. I never used to do that and now I do."

Reno and Schumer both voiced concerns that security officials are rarely seen about campus and wondered if such an incident could be avoided. Vito Czyz, director of Safety and Security, said even with a more extreme security system in place, such an incident may have taken place anyway because it resulted from a friend admitting a guest. He went on to praise security officials and the Allegany Police Department for their diligence and for quickly apprehending the suspect.

"We shared every little piece of information we could with the Allegany Police Department," Czyz said. "I was very happy that we could wrap this thing up within a one-day time frame."

Trietley seconded Czyz's support of the safety and security officials.

"To those students who might say that our safety and security force is never seen or doesn't do anything, I can tell you that I see the reports every day," Trietley said. "We have a 24/7, 365-day operation, and they really do an outstanding job. They certainly do a lot more than just write parking tickets, which is a common thing that I hear, and I'm personally very proud of them."

Czyz said the Office of Safety and Security has already checked the electric carding system to make sure it works properly and will continue to take measures to ensure the safety of all those in the St. Bonaventure community.

"We are looking at other measures we can take on the floors," Czyz said. "There are some measures to increase patrols in the residence halls, particularly in Devereux, and some of the ones where females are residents of. So we'll be increasing the walking patrols of some of those."

Trietley said an increased security camera system will be added to campus next year as part of a federal grant.

Czyz reiterated the main goal of the Office of Safety and Security remains to provide students with the ultimate protection, and he will continue to oversee those developments.

"Our goal is, ultimately, where there's opportunity, not just in Devereux but everywhere on campus, where we can increase our security, vigilance and awareness, and it'll be happening over time."


e-mail: mccardf@sbu.edu