De Anza College’s late reaction to the alleged early morning assault and battery on its campus Oct. 27 left students outraged and uninformed.
“When you’ve got a random psycho running around and strangling people you let us know immediately,” said 24-year-old geology major Diana Mihaescu, “not later that day.”
De Anza sent out an automated text message alert to students at 5:15 p.m. advising students to travel in groups when possible, call 911 if they feel threatened and to inform them that campus evening lighting would be extended.
De Anza also sent emails and phone calls to De Anza’s faculty notifying them that campus police will be on patrol. De Anza’s website was also updated to the alert.
A Sheriff’s deputy initially informed Mihaescu of the assault as he spoke to possible witnesses. Other students learned of the assault through the local media.
Biology major Diego Rivera, 19, said he hadn’t heard about the assault; his first information on the incident came when La Voz reporters asked for his opinion Friday.
Sayura Ozawa, an 18-year-old music major, said her mother called her after hearing about the assault on the news. “At least now I know,” she said.
Some students were not as understanding.
“It’s outrageous,” said business administration major Roberto Huerta, 20. “We find out more from Facebook club posts than we do from our own police.”
Huerta said he also believed the timing of De Anza’s alert deprived students of valuable information on the suspect, which could hinder the investigation.
“They [De Anza] aren’t doing their jobs,” he said. “If this were serious we wouldn’t know.”
Marisa Spatafore, director of marketing communications and development, said the alert was issued in the afternoon following the release of the Sheriff’s Office’s statement to ensure accuracy and prevent the spread of rumors.
The suspect is described as a white male 19 to 21, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall with blonde hair, wearing a green sweater with white lettering and blue jeans and spoke with a Russian accent.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Detective Bureau at 408-808-4500.
Those who wish to stay anonymous can call the Sheriff’s Tip Line at 408-808-4431.
