To the UC Davis community:

As we begin the new year, we are also marking January 2011 as the eighth annual National Stalking Awareness Month. Throughout the past 20 years, we have learned that stalking behavior is a problem on college campuses, in particular. For example, a 2000 survey of Sexual Victimization of College Women found that rates of stalking on college campuses exceeded the rates in the general population. Indeed, a 2009 U.S. Justice Department survey found that people aged 18 to 24 experience the highest rate of stalking.

Stalking is a collection of behaviors that in the past was ignored, excused or minimized. These behaviors could include: unwanted gifts, numerous calls, texts and e-mails, and waiting for someone outside a class. As isolated incidents, any one of them might seem harmless or benign. But when repeated and persistent, they become threatening and intimidating. Victims of stalking report feeling a lack of control over their lives, a discomfort that has resulted in their need to change their telephone numbers, social network accounts and daily routines. Stalking can trigger fear and anxiety in victims, and can hinder a victim’s ability to pursue his or her education and live a whole and healthy life.

We as a community must learn to recognize stalking for what it is — an attempt by one person to exert power and control over another — and find ways to support victims, hold the perpetrators accountable and create a culture where stalking is not tolerated. By engaging in further dialogue throughout our campus community and with outside communities, we can further our collective understanding of this problem.

Nationally, the effort to understand and respond to stalking is being led by the Stalking Resource Center and the Justice Department’s Office of Violence Against Women. Here at UC Davis, a $1 million grant from the federal Violence Against Women office is aiding our efforts to build a coordinated community response and develop comprehensive educational programs for the entire UC system, to address not only stalking, but also dating and domestic violence, and sexual assault. The grant will also help train UC's police officers and student conduct staff to respond more effectively to all these forms of violence.

Finally, I want to commend UC Davis’ Campus Violence Prevention Program for its ongoing work being done on our campus to address stalking, sexual assault, and dating and domestic violence. This program, a unit of the UC Davis Police Department, provides prevention and risk reduction education, as well as advocacy and support services for students, faculty or staff who are affected by stalking, sexual assault and relationship violence. Please contact the Campus Violence Prevention Program at (530) 752-3299, if you would like more information about these issues, are interested in how you can help, or would like to talk with an advocate.

For more information on stalking and sexual assault awareness, please visit the Campus Violence Prevention Program's website. And for more information on National Stalking Awareness Month, please visit this site.

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi