Drawing by Jeremy Nakamura.
On February 20 a group of Connecticut College students chose a secluded spot in the library to do some homework. The only other person near them was a thin, blonde college-aged man reading what looked like a dictionary. Two hours later, all the members of the group had left except for a single freshman girl. Shortly thereafter, the man got up from the chair and handed her a note from across the table. Confused, she picked up the note that began with “I’ve been looking at you.”
He then asked her for her name and where she was from. “My heart was racing,” she said after. “I handed the note back to him; I was so uncomfortable.” He then wrote his full name on another piece of paper, saying “it was so nice to meet you, friend me on Facebook.”
Shaken by the experience, the girl went back to doing her work. “I guess I’m a trusting person,” she said. “I never expected someone like that to show up in our library.”
All girls who encountered this man asked to remain anonymous out of concern for their safety.
She was not the only one. A week earlier, another female freshman was working with two of her friends on the second floor of Shain at the secluded tables behind the stacks. When they first arrived she had noticed a tall blonde man walking around, reading what looked like a dictionary or an encyclopedia. A while later, two of the members of the group went to the Blue Camel Café, leaving the girl alone to study.
Immediately, the blonde man came over, leaned on the table she was working at and started flipping through his book. He attempted to strike up a conversation with her several times, despite her dismissiveness, and he continued to stare at her when she did not encourage the conversation. Feeling uncomfortable, the girl was relieved when her friends returned, and the man left. He sat down at a nearby table, when the students heard the distinctive click of a camera phone being used to photograph them. The girl and her friend then left the library to escape the situation.
As these stories have spread across the campus, more women have come forward with similar experiences of a man with the same description. Most reported incidents have happened within the library, but one instance occurred at the Crystal Mall. Their encounter lasted only a few minutes, but the student felt pressured into giving him her number. He then proceeded to send her angry texts when she refused to respond to him.
The first woman who was approached has since talked to Darcie Folsom, the Coordinator of Sexual Violence Education and Advocacy to inform her of the situation. Stewart Smith, the Director of Campus Safety, said that he had been informed about the matter and it is being looked into.
“Connecticut College is an open campus, an important part of the local community, and many groups and individuals enjoy access to our facilities,” said Smith in an e- mail. “When the College community has concerns about an individual, an officer is sent to the scene and identifies the person. After figuring out why an individual is on campus further action is taken.”
A picture of the man seen in Shain Library
