Delaware State students are headed to Leg Hall to talk about campus concerns. What to know

Tension was brewing.

Reports of sexual assault ticked up in the Delaware State University daily crime log, each sending another alert to student cellphones. Groups began to meet, discussing how unsafe students felt on campus. Survivors spoke, and organizers got busy.

Now, concerns at DSU have reached a fever pitch. The Dover institution was rocked in recent days by multiple town hall meetings and an explosive protest that brought hundreds out of class on Jan. 18, calling for better campus security and improved handling of sexual assault cases.

As the initial university response rolls out, some students want more. And they plan to hold their school accountable.

Subscribers, go deeper:Delaware State students aren’t done. Hear their stories. What do they demand, and what's next?

Students will attend Delaware State's budget hearing

Student organizers are watching for progress as the university response takes shape.

Organizers say they're forming a message for the administration — from outlining student demands to planning a presence at the state budget hearing on Feb. 2 in Legislative Hall. Delaware State's hearing is set for 12:30 p.m. with the Joint Finance Committee, as public hearings for fiscal year 2024 continue as scheduled in Dover.

Want to watch yourself? Anyone can watch the livestream, and those wishing to add public comment can register for the Zoom webinar.

Student organizers say they want the school to “fortify the integrity” of its Title IX process — increasing trust and transparency, while treating cases as time-sensitive. They want “advocacy transportation” following a sexual assault report to be ensured and for students facing allegations to be barred from campus activities while a case is open.

Organizers also call for more security across the main campus and DSU Downtown; education and awareness programs across the university and police; and increased counselors and support available to students.

“It's all about accountability,” said one sophomore, Melanie Jimmerson. “We’ve told you what we need."

What has the university said so far?

University President Tony Allen responded with initial steps on Jan. 20 after one town hall, closed to the public and media, pushed until nearly 3 a.m. in a campus auditorium. A follow-up town hall, also closed to media on Jan. 27, came with more details.

A “Safe Space Coalition” — made of student committees, parents and administrators — will be forming to assess existing protocol on safety and sexual assault, streamlining recommendations to his office. Mandatory sensitivity training will be scheduled across the university, starting with public safety. And a new "Center for Safety & Well-Being" is to be established.

This joins promises to upgrade campus lighting and cameras, update the blue lights system and assess existing escort services and counseling hours. Allen did not give an exact timeline for these efforts.

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The president, through a university spokesperson, told USA TODAY Network he was “not inclined” to take an interview on more specifics.

Allen also said each public safety officer will be equipped with a body camera, though this measure was also not given a timeline. Public safety is focused on expanding security, he noted, and hiring more women officers.

What's happening at DSU? In case you missed it

Calls without answers, long times spent waiting for response, avoiding stairwells, fear of walking alone at night — students had a lot to say about campus safety. And they found a megaphone to do it.

Hundreds of students protested on Jan. 18, calling for change within Delaware State University public safety. That protest pushed into the late afternoon. Since then, multiple town halls and other meetings have stretched hours in length.

Delaware State crime reports show five cases of rape on campus in 2019, two in 2020 and five in 2021. The university’s daily crime log shows 10 reports in 2022, as a calendar year, with four more reported this month.

Subscribers, go deeper:Delaware State students aren’t done. Hear their stories and what they need to change.

This violence is not unique to Dover. University of Delaware crime statistics show five assaults in 2021, with Temple University recording seven that year. These schools are nearly four times and six times larger than Delaware State in total student population, respectively.

Nationally, over a quarter of undergraduate women will experience sexual assault, according to the Association of American Universities. The vast majority, researchers say, will go unreported.

This comes as the institution just celebrated enrollment milestones.

Against the grain:Colleges are shrinking. But HBCUs like Delaware State are riding a wave of their own

Delaware State University marked a 40% expansion in the last decade by fall 2022, welcoming the largest class of 1,700 freshmen and more than 6,200 total students for the first time in its 131 years. Students hope to leave a better campus behind if those numbers continue to increase.

"I want to emphasize that these are initial steps, aimed at immediately improving our current practices," Allen wrote just days after the protest. "We will work closely with the coalition as we build out our long-term plan."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Delaware State unrest: What to know about students heading to Leg Hall