A Letter to Parents on Student Safety

Dear Parents and Guardians:

As you may already know, on Saturday morning April 16th, Campus Safety received a report of a sexual assault in Carle Residence Hall. We in the Keene State Community are shocked by this event, and we’re writing now to express our deep upset and concern, and to discuss how we are addressing the incident throughout campus and within the community.

We want to assure you that the victim of the assault has our total and complete support. We are working diligently with the Keene Police Department and a full investigation continues. We will notify you of developments as they occur.

The safety and well being of your children and, indeed, our entire campus community is our foremost concern and most important mission. A crime like this is a violation not only of the victim, but of the standards of our community. Keene State College is committed to promoting a learning and work environment that proactively protects the health, safety, and welfare of all members of the campus community. When anyone in our community is harmed, we are all wounded.

In addition to our safety protocols and actions, we are taking many steps to ensure our students and community are aware of the support services we offer including free and confidential services at our Counseling Center, as well as our Employee Assistance Program. The Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention (603-352-3782) provides free, confidential services for any survivor of sexual assault, relationship violence or stalking. And we’ve increased our Campus Safety escort services and encourage anyone to take advantage of these day or night by calling (603) 358-2228.

Saturday’s incident is understandably upsetting. We encourage you to engage in an open discussion with your children to ensure they are aware of these services. We will, of course, continue the dialogue with our students, faculty, staff and you.

Keene State College will continue to work diligently to create and maintain a safe and caring environment for all. Any information that may be helpful in this investigation should be directed to Campus Safety (603) 358-2228 and/or to the Keene Police Department at (603) 357-9813.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this incident further, please contact me directly at (603) 358-2107 or via email at arobinso@keene.edu.

Andrew P. Robinson, Ph.D.

Vice President for Student Affairs

Keene State College

(603) 358-2108