Two years ago Anna Jencson, a senior in sociology, was walking past Independence Hall with her boyfriend when two men approached them and put a gun to her boyfriend's back. The men took them into an alley and demanded they empty their pockets, which only contained an empty wallet and their two cell phones.
Jencson said one of the men did not believe that was all they had, so he took them to a stairwell behind Townshend Hall and demanded they take off their clothes to prove it. Jencson said she refused, crying hysterically and fearing for her safety.
The man without the gun then convinced the other man to let Jencson and her boyfriend go after realizing they really did not have anything of value on them, she said.
This scene still haunts Jencson from time to time.
"For a while I was very nervous when people would walk by me late at night," Jencson said. "I still don't go out by myself."
Jencson said things occasionally will set her off, rekindling her paranoia and fear.
Karen Kyle, director of the Student Advocacy Center at Ohio State, said in an event such as this, immediate assistance is necessary to help students move on with their academic and social life.
"When a problem occurs, we help," Kyle said. "As the quarter goes on, we try to build a relationship so if other problems come up later on, we can help even more."
The staff members at the center are there to take care of things such as contacting professors and making them aware of the situation as well as getting the student involved in counseling or helping to arrange for alternate safe housing, Kyle said.
If students ignore their feelings of fear after being victimized, it can be harder to focus later on and things can become overwhelming, further complicating the problem, Kyle said.
"We are there to represent the student in any way we can," she said.
This help includes a close relationship with Counseling and Consultation Services at the Younkin Success Center. Kyle said students that come to the SAC are often referred to CCS for additional counseling and assistance.
CCS has a number of group sessions that could be helpful for students that have been a victim of crime, said Curt Haywood, senior staff clinical therapist at CCS. Examples of these could include group therapy sessions dealing with post traumatic stress disorder or adjustment issues, or a survivor group for survivors of sexual, physical or mental abuse.
The type of group that would be most beneficial for the student would depend on the nature of the crime, Haywood said.
If students or therapists feel the need, individual sessions are also available with students allotted 10 free sessions per year. It would all depend on the emotional response and the needs of the student, Haywood said.
Not all students who are victimized feel the need to seek help, however.
Ryan Eilbeck, a junior in English pre-education said he was victimized Nov. 12 when his house was broken into. Two laptops, a book of CDs, two cameras and his bike were taken.
While he said the whole incident was not particularly surprising because of where he and his roommate live, Eilbeck said his life has changed slightly.
"We were definitely uneasy in our house for the next couple of days," Eilbeck said. "We were reluctant to leave and we jammed boards in the windows so no one could get in from the outside."
He said he did not seek any help from the services offered at OSU and since he has returned to his routine, it has become easier to be comfortable in his house.
Boomer Dearwester, a senior in criminology, had a similar experience when his house was burglarized. When he and his two roommates were gone on a Sunday, someone entered their house and stole all of their laptops and DVDs.
"(The event) wasn't traumatizing, because no one was home," Dearwester said. "It hurt financially, though."
The laptops had been used by all three tenants for class, so waiting on the insurance money was a huge inconvenience for them all, he said.
Kyle said the Student Advocacy Center is there to help all students, including those who have been victimized. They can help replace things that have been stolen, like books, if the student is unable to purchase them, she said.
If alternate housing is needed because a student is concerned with his or her safety, the SAC will help connect the student with landlords or emergency temporary housing, Kyle said.
"The best approach would be to come to us," she said. "We can help connect (the student) and help them in whatever level we can."
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