Students reflect on the safety levels on campus in regard to local homicides

By: Ali Farooqi

On Monday, September 12, Waltham Police responded to a report of a triple homicide at 12 Harding Avenue in Waltham, MA. The police found the bodies of Brandon Mess, 25, Eric Weissman, 31, and Raphael Teken, 37, in Mess apartment at 2:25 p.m.

Thomas LaCroix, the Waltham Police chief, reported that the victims knew their assailants and that the attacks were not random. When questioned as to whether these men were still at large, he did not respond.

Investigators are waiting for autopsies to determine the cause of death. However, news media claims that a police officer said that the victims’ throats were slashed and that the bodies were covered in marijuana.

Bentley students responded to the topic of campus safety in the wake of this horrendous crime. Chris Orihuela, a sophomore, voiced concern.

“It’s kind of scary because it’s like three miles away from our school,” said Orihuela. “It’s kind of alarming I guess because this school is supposed to be a really safe school.”

Bentley students, though shook up by the incident, still have confidence in the police force, that is well trained in emergency responses and crime prevention.

Kartik Devineni, a freshman, said, “Yeah, I feel safe on campus because we have a private police force that ensures that all students are safe in their dorms,” he said. “When I first heard about the murders, I was kind a surprised since I’m not from around here so I don’t know about the crime in this area. It’s a horrible thing, but I feel safe on this campus.”

Mitch Bloomberg, a junior, said, “It’s generally a safe campus. You know, we have police and everything – there hasn’t been an incident in Bentley in a few years.”

Some students, like Dane Solberg, a freshman, did not see a connection between the recent homicides and campus safety.

“Drug-related violence in the United States is not new, so it doesn’t really change my opinion about campus safety,” said Solberg. “I still feel safe. Yeah, it’s surprising it’s nearby, but you know we are close to Boston so it’s going to happen, and it’s not the last time.”

The autopsies are still being done, but no further information has been released on the crime at this time.

Written by: Dan Merica

Two women have been charged in the stabbing of Bentley student, senior Rafael Pena, in the upper chest early Wednesday morning inside Fenway Hall.

Breanne Fraser, 21, of Cranston, RI, and Sarah Monta, 19, of Danvers, MA, plead not guilty to assault and battery with a deadly weapon, along with one count of armed robbery yesterday afternoon in Waltham District Court. Fraser and Monta were arrested by University police after the 3 a.m. incident.

Both suspects will be held without bail until Wednesday, February 10, when a “dangerousness” hearing will be held in the Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, MA. Fraser and Monta hung their heads in court, covering their faces from the cameras of news and print media.

Pena has been released from the hospital and is in stable condition despite receiving what authorities called a “deep stab wound.”

According to the official Bentley University arrest report, at approximately 3:25 a.m. on February 3, police officers were dispatched to Fenway after receiving a report of a male stabbed by 2 females following an argument. One officer was posted in the Farm Lot at a car with a Rhode Island license plate. This was believed to be the suspect’s car.

Another officer responded to Fenway, where Pena was found in the lobby with a deep stab wound to his upper right chest, along with blood on both his shirt and hands.

Another officer at this time observed two girls walking on Beaver Street towards the Farm Lot. After much resistance, the two girls were then handcuffed and put into separate police vehicles. No weapons were found on either suspect.
Neither Fraser nor Monta are Bentley students. According to Lieutenant Bill Williams of the University Police Department, “the people who were taken into custody knew the person who was stabbed.”

According to the arrest report, Fraser stated that money for sex was involved in the dispute. She stated that Mr. Pena had said, “I guess I’m not going to have sex, so how about a blow job for $50 dollars,” to which both women said no.

The arrest report also stated that the evidence found in the women’s purse and pockets consisted of two different types of perfume and lotion, lipstick, Chap Stick, lip gloss, birth control, nine condoms, and lubricant jelly, among other items.

Both women accused in the February 3 dispute also have a court date in Boston Municipal Court, where they were involved in an another altercation with a man living in a Boylston apartment. According to Jake Whark, spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the altercation stemmed from a disagreement regarding sex for money.

“Monta and Fraser came to the door and stated that it would be 200 dollars for one girl and 300 dollars for two girls,” said Whark. He went on to say that “the officers took the women into custody, and during the booking process found 300 dollars in the same denominations as the money the man involved said he had given to the women.” According to the police report, the women were “uncooperative and hostile” to the January 6 responding officers.

It was the prior incident coupled with the Bentley stabbing that forced the Middlesex District Attorney’s office into labeling the pair a danger to society and ask for the denial of bail.

When asked whether he could confirm if these women were prostitutes, Williams stated that he has no knowledge of that, but stated that “I would not be surprised that they were involved with something like that.”

Students were notified of the stabbing via an e-mail at 7:16 Wednesday morning from Dean of Student Affairs Andrew Shepardson. “We will share more information with the community as it becomes available,” read the e-mail.

“However, I do want the community to know that the situation is being addressed,” the e-mail also stated.
As the story was breaking this morning, students told The Vanguard that they were concerned with the lack of information they were getting.

“We all wish we knew more,” said senior Katie Brodrick. “Right now everyone is watching the news, and the news knows more than the students,” she added.

Sophomore Bree Johnson echoed Brodrick’s concerns by saying, “We have enough information as far as not having to be worried about the rest of our community, but would like to hear more.” Johnson went on to say that what she wants is an explanation, stating, “I would like someone to let me know how two girls with a knife got into Fenway… I would like to know how this happened.”

To quell students’ fears, Dean Shepardson sent out another campus-wide e-mail at 5:15 p.m., outlining a number of tips from the University Police Safety and Security Report, as well as recommendations for what to do “while you are out and about.”

“Thank you all for looking out for each other,” read the e-mail. “We all need to be a part of the solution in keeping our campus safe,” it stated.

Doreen Floyd, assistant dean of Student Affairs, recognized the growing concern among students, stating, “We want to make sure that students feel safe on this campus, because they should.” At the same time, though, she recognized the reality of the situation.

“At Bentley this thing is not typical,” said Floyd, adding “but we all walk around with the perception that this is a very safe campus, and it is in large part, but I think we live in greater society and things can happen.”
Jon McColgan and Rebecca Langweber contributed to this report.

Written by: Melody Shekari

You may have noticed the R.A.D emails and fliers around campus, but have you considered taking the class?
R.A.D. stands for the Rape Aggression Defense System, a national program for self defense education.
According to the program’s website, “over 250,000 women have attended R.A.D. Basic Physical Defense Program.”

The website goes on to state that it is a “program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques for women.” I’ve considered taking the class over the past few years, and after finally enrolling, I have the basis to report on the program from the inside.

The classes offered at Bentley are a part of the national R.A.D. network. There are instructors all over the country, and many cities and colleges hold classes to teach women how to defend themselves.

According to Officer David Wade, one of the certified instructors on campus, forty students have signed up this semester. Classes are held weekly over six weeks, amounting to a total of fifteen hours.
Due to high demand, an additional class was added on Fridays, and it is now the biggest class attendance-wise.

Wade said that the class teaches “techniques and strategies that are easy to learn and apply…the mindset is reduce the risk to self with precautions.” He also said “self defense is 90% risk reduction and 10% offensive action,” which is why the class is so important.

It empowers women with knowledge and skills so that they know that they can defend themselves.
The program also includes a lifetime return and practice policy, which means that participants can return to practice and refresh their skills for free at any time.

R.A.D. classes have actually been offered at the university for approximately seventeen years, and the eight certified instructors currently on campus include police officers and a nurse practitioner from the Health & Wellness Center.

Although there are R.A.D. classes for men, Bentley only offers the official class for women each semester.
In the past, private programs have been done with organizations, such as Women’s Center, and are available for other groups on campus with enough participants for a class.

While students may feel safe walking alone on campus, Officer Wade said that the skills learned will be useful for when they go away from campus, whether they are studying abroad or moving to other cities.
He says, “The class teaches you to keep safe and be more aware of dangers in the world, regardless of where you are.”

The world is not always a safe place, and when I think about what I would do if I was alone and a victim of aggression, I couldn’t tell you the specific actions I would take. Most likely, I would freeze and leave myself vulnerable to the attack, which is why I am glad that I am taking the class.

For the next few weeks, I will be writing about my experience, along with reactions from other students in the class.

Although the class is only a few weeks long, I will be gaining skills and techniques that can be used for a lifetime.

Duke University is holding its breath waiting for DNA results from a rape investigation against members of the men’s lacrosse team. Allegations arose from a March 13th off-campus lacrosse party at which a black exotic dancer and student at a nearby North Carolina Central University, who was hired to perform at the party, told police she was assaulted and raped by three men for half an hour.

Police collected DNA samples from 46 of the 47 lacrosse team members; the 47th was excluded because he is black and did not match the attackers’ profiles. Duke Director of Athletics Joe Alleva expressed dismay regarding the allegations and reminds the media nothing has been proven thus far.

When the story first broke, WEEI reported Alleva allegedly said “young kids make mistakes,” referring to the accusations against the lacrosse team. If this is true, Alleva should be fired; when your lacrosse team is first accused of rape and you want to the players to get a fair trial, keep you mouth shut until you have something intelligent to say.

Evidence at the crime scene was collected, and the victims were questioned by authorities. Detectives found the victim’s four red polished fingernails inside the house where she was attacked; consistent to her version of what happened. She told police she was clawing at one of the suspect’s arms in an attempt to breathe when she was strangled and her nails fell off.

The officers who searched the crime scene also recovered a makeup bag, cell phone and a stack of $20 bills consistent with the woman’s statement that $400 in cash was taken from her purse after the attack.

Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead said Wednesday that he has suspended the rest of season for the men’s lacrosse team.

The team’s three captains, who have refused to comment in depth, issued a statement on behalf of the team stating “unequivocally that any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false.”

They also agreed it would be “in the best interest of the university, the community and our families” to forego any more intercollegiate games until DNA results exonerated team members.

In the days since the alleged attack, protestors have converged on the campus demanding justice for the woman. Some students are blasting a university culture they say treats precious athletes as if they are above the law, and are calling for mandatory coursework that emphasizes sensitivity to issues affecting women and people of color.

“White male privilege is an issue here,” Teshonne Powell, a sophomore from Atlanta who attended a recent demonstration, told the Baltimore Sun. “The fact that the lacrosse players are being protected is a serious problem. It says Duke cares more about its image than the safety of human beings.”

The argument Duke is trying to protect its scholastic and popular sports program should not be dismissed. Powell believes Duke only forfeited the games “out of fear that protesters would disrupt them.” If the Duke administration really cared about the investigation, the rest of the season would be forfeited so the whole team could sit down and reflect on the actions of their team members.

Whether DNA proves the lacrosse team is at fault or someone else, whoever committed this crime is not only a terrible human being, but is also very ignorant.

Anyone who has seen the film Crash remembers the lecture given by the stolen car shop owner about programs on the Discovery channel. Forensic scientists can shine white lights on carpets to find the smallest DNA samples, which surprises dumb red necks, or in this case stupid white college kids, when the FBI bangs down their door.

DNA evidence is quite powerful, as was the case against Darryl Littlejohn; the bouncer charged with murdering the graduate student from Boston who was savagely raped, strangled, and dumped last month in a desolate area of Brooklyn.

If evidence finds certain members of the Duke lacrosse team did commit these heinous acts, they should be incarcerated. Who cares if they play a sport at Duke? They should be viewed no different than Littlejohn, and should not receive any special treatment.