UPDATE: Sexual battery reported at The Flats
An employee at The Flats reported that mulch on the west end of the building was smoldering Saturday afternoon.
A sexual battery allegedly occurred at The Flats last Thursday evening, according to a university police report.
The University Police Department crime log describes the alleged offense as “unwanted physical attention from a male.” The incident report said the alleged battery resulted in apparent minor injury.
The alleged offense did not appear on the university crime log until Sept. 5 — four days after the report was made.
UPD Captain Guy Schroeder attributed the delay to the holiday weekend. “The gal who updates it was off until Tuesday,” Schroeder said of the crime log.
The alleged sexual battery occurred between 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and was reported to police at 11:51 p.m. Aug. 31.
The Flats is a private apartment complex on Innovation Campus. July 14, Wichita State announced it was moving about 300 students from university-owned Fairmount Towers to The Flats. Students moved into the complex Aug. 19.
State law defines sexual battery as “the touching of a victim who is not the spouse of the offender, who is 16 or more years of age and who does not consent thereto, with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of the offender or another.”
No arrest has been made in connection to the incident, and police said it is still under investigation.
Jenna Farhat was the news editor of The Sunflower. Farhat majored in creative writing.
Are there updates? • Oct 5, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Are there any updates on this case? What exact actions are WSU officials taking as a direct result to this?
Re: Really • Sep 9, 2017 at 11:58 am
Really, it’s okay that you don’t understand. You might come to a place in your life where you see that you don’t have to be a woman’s study major to believe in human dignity.
Really • Sep 10, 2017 at 3:18 pm
It’s interesting that you speak of dignity while virtue signaling.
Re: Really • Sep 11, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Let’s just put this back and forth to rest, and we can at least end with our common ground that neither of us think that what happened to the victim was right.
Title IX • Sep 7, 2017 at 7:44 am
Was this immediately reported to the Title IX Coordinator, Natasha Stephens, so she could initiate a Title IX investigation or did that get delayed as well? Did Mandy Hambleton immediately take action on the 31st or was there a delay in the Title IX and Conduct process? Was an athlete or member of the Greek community involved? All those factors play a role in how things are handled.
What is WSU doing now? • Sep 7, 2017 at 1:14 pm
As a student, what these people are doing to help the victim matters. WSU needs to handle this situation very well and with great sensitivity and with timeliness.. What are these people functionally doing? Please look into this.
The gal was on vacation... • Sep 6, 2017 at 11:03 pm
I’m sorry I can’t help but laugh at Guy Schroeder…okay…sorry but…it’s a crime log. You can’t like…not update it. Really? That’s just wrong, I think there is well deserved scrutiny with the Wichita State UPD not delivering. Which is MORE important Guy? Can anyone else log crimes besides one person? Laziness.
Vacation….or Proper Documentation of Sexual Battery? Priorities…
Concerned • Sep 6, 2017 at 10:57 pm
According to the police, what does “under investigation” actually mean? What are they actually doing when they say that in this particular case? Please keep updates on this situation, this is a really big problem on this campus. Hoping the victim sees justice.
Dates • Sep 6, 2017 at 7:30 am
Did it happen on the 1st and was not reported until the 5th and that is why the difference in when it appeared versus when it happened?
Alcohol Policy • Sep 6, 2017 at 7:28 am
What is the alcohol policy at The Flats? Since it is a private apartment complex, is it different than Shocker Hall? Wheatshocker Hall used to allow alcohol for people over 21 before the policy was changed and alcohol was prohibited in all residence halls. It would be interesting to know if the alcohol policy is different for Shocker Hall and The Flats.
Alcohol and the relevance? • Sep 7, 2017 at 1:09 pm
What does alcohol have to do with anything?
Really? • Sep 7, 2017 at 7:05 pm
Really?
Alcohol and relevance • Sep 8, 2017 at 11:15 am
Yea, what’s the relevance. Really.
Re: Really • Sep 8, 2017 at 11:57 am
“’Well, she was drunk. Boys will be boys. Well, what was she wearing?’ Those are just some of the many excuses commonly used to justify rape and sexual assault. Considering that one in five women is raped in her lifetime in the United States, rape apologists help perpetuate an unacceptable and extremely dangerous cycle of violence against women. It’s time we said NO MORE.”
http://www.nomore.com
Rape Culture is a thing, Mr(s). Really. Rape apologists have probably not been assaulted, raped, battered, sexually threatened. Until you experience the devastation you might keep blaming the victim. Mr(s). Really, battery and forceful sexual threats are criminal. I know that you probably couldn’t imagine, but alcohol does not excuse nor bear weight on the situation, because there is never a relevance. …Because it is NEVER okay. Ever.
So let’s shift the blame off of the victim and begin calling out the horrible actions of the predator.
Really • Sep 9, 2017 at 9:31 am
Ok we get it you’re a women’s studies major.
Alcohol Policy • Sep 8, 2017 at 8:36 pm
Still interested if a young living in The Flats can share the alcohol policy for that facility.
The “really” comment was to the person who wants to know why it matters. Some people in the administration don’t like enforcement of alcohol policies so I am interested to know if alcohol is allowed in any way in The Flats.
It is not about victim blaming but about perpetrators
Not okay. • Sep 5, 2017 at 7:48 pm
This is absolutely unacceptable. What is WSU doing for this young woman? How horrible. I’m so, so sorry for this young woman. This is just wrong.
John Doe • Sep 5, 2017 at 10:25 pm
Who said it was a woman??
Not okay. • Sep 5, 2017 at 10:41 pm
Correction. Man or woman. Neither is okay.
What? • Sep 5, 2017 at 11:14 pm
How do you know WSU isn’t doing anything?
They didn't say that • Sep 6, 2017 at 10:47 am
They didn’t say WSU isn’t doing anything. They asked what they were doing. Kind of an important distinction, no?