California college girls say they’re living in terror after four rapes on campus in first three weeks of term

Female students at a California university say they fear for their safety after four rapes were reported on campus within the first three weeks of term.

A Cal State San Marcos student has launched a petition demanding an increased security presence after the string of reports left women on campus increasingly concerned about sexual violence.

“As women, we have the right to a safe education just as much as the rest of the student body,” the student wrote in the Change.org petition.

The petition, dated Sept. 21, says students have been alarmed by four reported rapes as well as a reported breaking and entering and sexual assault on campus in less than three weeks.

It calls on the university to increase security in parking lots, the Quad and other poorly lit areas, while demanding “complete transparency” about what officials plan to do to address safety concerns.

The student behind the petition claimed she and other female students had reached out to the Associate Vice President for Campus Security but had not received a response.

She also criticized what she described as a lack of communication from the university about whether security would be increased, arguing students should not be expected to shoulder the burden of protecting themselves.

“CSUSM continues to propose reactive solutions to an active problem,” she wrote.

The university previously confirmed to the California Post that four rapes had been reported since the start of September, on Sept. 5, Sept. 6, Sept. 13 and Sept. 18.

The incidents were reported at The Quad, University Village Apartments and Black Oak Hall.

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CSUSM spokesperson Jerry McCormick told the Post the four reports were not believed to be connected and the people involved knew one another in each case.

“Sexual assault is never acceptable and is never the survivor’s fault. Consent must be affirmative, voluntary and ongoing,” McCormick said at the time.

The university issued campus safety alerts about the reports under the federal Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act.

McCormick also noted that the opening weeks of the academic year are considered a particularly vulnerable period for sexual violence on college campuses.

“The first six weeks of the fall semester at universities across the nation are often called the ‘Red Zone,’ when the risk of campus sexual violence is elevated,” he said.

But the student petition argues education and precautions are not enough, calling instead for university officials to take a more active role in preventing violence.

“We should not carry the full responsibility for taking extra careful precautions because of the disgusting actions of other students,” the petition states.