By Tyler White | Staff Writer
The number of stalking cases at Baylor rose by about 74% from 2021 to 2022, according to the 2023 Annual Fire Safety and Security Report. This increase has been seen across multiple campuses as stalking becomes more prevalent and recognized at colleges.
In 2020, 17 stalking cases were reported. The increase from 23 to 40 cases from 2021 to 2022 could have emerged for a variety of reasons.
Shelley Godeke, Baylor’s Clery compliance manager, said she looks at everything through a “Clery lens,” which means looking at more than just what the penal code classifies as stalking. According to the Clery Center website, the Clery Act is “a law that aims to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics,” and universities must comply with certain standards of reporting.
“In my world, if I receive a fifth-person-removed report that says that someone is being watched, stalked, surveilled in any way, and that’s causing fear for them for the safety of someone else, then I’m going to count that as stalking,” Godeke said.
Dr. Laura Johnson, Baylor’s Title IX coordinator and associate vice president for equity, said it’s hard to pinpoint an exact reason for the increase in stalking cases since it is a new and recent increase.
“Is it an awareness of what stalking is? Perhaps if campuses change their definition … of what constitutes stalking,” Johnson said. “Is it an increased willingness to report? It could be that the campuses are doing more programs on stalking, so students are more able to identify it and feel more comfortable coming forward with that information.”
According to the Baylor website, the definition of stalking is “conduct on the basis of sex that constitutes a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.” Stalking was added to the definition of sexual harassment under Title IX in 2020.
According to a fact sheet from The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center, 18- to 24-year-olds experience the highest rate of stalking among adults. Johnson said predictable routines, limited places to go and shared classes could contribute to more stalking cases.
Other universities, like the University of Texas and Texas Christian University, have also reported increases in stalking cases in their annual reports, showing a trend across campuses. Cases at the University of Texas increased by about 50% from 2021 to 2022, going from 18 to 27 cases, while TCU increased from 4 to 5 cases. Cases at Texas Tech University decreased by about 32% from 2021 to 2022, going from 65 to 44 cases.
An article from Campus Safety emphasizes the trend of rising stalking cases, encouraging universities to take the matter seriously and to provide the community with clear policies and ways to report.
“There are things about living in community in the college campus lifestyle that can lead to an increase, but exactly why we’re seeing an increase in reporting right now, I think it’s too early to really go to pinpoint,” Johnson said.
Johnson said when cases like stalking are reported, the office offers to meet with the person affected to offer various resources. Beyond those affected, she said the office works to provide more education through programs that acknowledge and combat the increase.
“When we see an increase in any kind of conduct, … our education and prevention specialist, she and I meet weekly, and I’ll ask her, ‘Can you start working this in your program?’ whether that is creating programs specific about the issue … or incorporating that into programs you already have,” Johnson said.
Godeke said it’s important to look beyond the numbers at what the university is doing for the community.
“I think really the focus that I talked about in our annual report is, as opposed to just numbers, look at those resources,” Godeke said. “Encourage our students to use the resources that we have, … [and] really take that report at face value of the rich detail that it has — all the ways that the university can and does help our students.”
Johnson said it’s important for students to be intentional about what they share with others. She also said she wants to remind students that they have a right to deny information and that it’s a good idea to “trust your gut” in those kinds of situations.
“If anything seems off, just report,” Johnson said.
To make a report, call the Baylor Police Department, use this online form, report anonymously or contact the Title IX office for further information.
