Women Beyond the Crime

By Hannah Jarosch

Crime on campus, specifically in Dinkytown, can disproportionately affect women, leaving them with trauma that’s hard to shake.

The sun was just about to set in late September when University of Minnesota student Nora Bettin started her eight-minute trek alone to her friend’s apartment.

She knew the walk at dusk along Eighth Street in Dinkytown, not an overly populated road that leads to a dead end, was something her parents had warned her against doing. But they had always sheltered Bettin during her youth growing up in Albany, MN, with a population of 2,804, in an environment that never presented any safety challenges anyway. Besides, she had made this walk many times before. It didn’t seem dangerous. She was even carrying pepper spray.

By the end of the night, she had come face to face with the barrel of a small handgun from a man who initially asked her for help. The situation unfolded quickly, leaving Bettin traumatized and still grappling with her sense of safety and comfort on campus. As university officials attempt to cope with varying increases in crime incidents, women find themselves on the front lines. 

Among undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, 26.4% of females experience crime and safety-related incidents while only 6.8% of males experience crime and safety-related incidents, according to rainn.com. This includes theft, rape, sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.  

Gender-based violence is a major victimological factor when talking about crime on campus. Women are much more likely than men to be targets of certain kinds of victimization, such as rape and domestic violence, according to springer.com. 

Women such as Bettin say they feel unsafe to walk alone on campus, especially at night. They feel more grounded in comfort when accompanied by a man or a group of men they can trust. 

Bettin’s Story 

Bettin recalls she was looking at her phone when a man ran up next to her on the sidewalk, approaching from behind, slightly bending over clenching his stomach. “Please help me, someone just tried to hit me with their car! Can you call 911?” said the man.

Bettin said she usually believes all people have good intentions, so she immediately thought to call for help. A gut feeling then hit, telling her that this person wasn’t actually hurt and that he had other motives. 

The man was wearing all black and seemed to be in fine condition. She picked up her pace and started screaming at him to get away from her. Before she could get away, the man no longer was clenching his stomach but rather clenching a gun that was buried in his shirt.

“Give me your phone bitch before I have to hurt you,” said the man.

With the gun still staring down Bettin, the man lunged at her phone that was still in her hand and gripped onto one side tenaciously. Bettin was still holding onto her side of the phone relentless to give it up.

“Thinking back, I should have let the phone go, but at that moment, I did not want to,” said Bettin.

They began both pulling back and forth, with neither of them wanting to let go. With one big pull from him, Bettin was yanked to her knees all while still holding onto the phone. He pulled her onto the cement and started to repeatedly kick her in the head and stomach while yelling from above. “Let go or I’ll shoot!” said the man.

With tears streaming down her face, she began screaming as loud as she could, hoping anyone would hear her cries for help. A man in the house across the street came out and quickly ran to Bettin and her attacker, shouting.

In a split second, a small, white car pulled up next to the curb, and the attacker hopped in, phone in hand, and never to be seen again.

Bettin was in shock. As she stood up, with ripped jeans, bloody knees, and a swollen face, she saw numerous people surrounding her, trying to console her. The only words she could get out were, “I just wanna go home.” 

One neighbor allowed Bettin to sit on his porch with him while she waited for the police to arrive. One of the witnesses wrote down the license plate of the getaway car, which was reported as a stolen vehicle. Bettin was never able to identify or press charges against the man who attacked her.  

Dinkytown is a particular problem. Theft and assault are not uncommon crimes on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. Crime rates in Dinktown are over four times the national average with rape and robbery being the leading crimes, according to weichert.com. 

UMN student, Kate Diebold said she feels most on edge in Dinkytown because of its reputation.

“It’s such a big area that you never know what could go on. I always make sure to walk in groups, especially at night,” Diebold said.

Como Tap, Sally’s Saloon, Blarney Pub, and Kollege Klub are notorious campus bars students attend. Although entertaining while inside, leaving these campus bars late at night is when women’s concern for their safety is at its peak.

On a recent night, one group of women waited inside Como Tap for an Uber instead of opting to walk home. One of the girls in the group, UMN student Molly Pickering, said she gets nervous to walk a long distance home late at night. 

“The walk back to my apartment is not very lit up. I know I would be scared the entire time, so to me, it’s just not worth it,” Pickering said.

Another group of women who were with a couple of men at Como Tap chose to walk home instead of arranging a ride. One of the girls in the group, student Abby Hansen, said that when she’s with a big group, especially with men present, she feels much more at ease to walk home.

“Well there’s three guys with us, so I feel safe to walk home. I also don’t think anyone would try something on such a big group like ours,” Hansen said.

One of the men in the group walking home from Como Tap, student Dominic Johnson, said because he is a male, he doesn’t usually worry about his safety on campus.

“I just don’t think I am what an attacker is looking for. I am not an easy target,” Johnson said.

While Bettin’s attacker stole her phone, she said he stole something much bigger that day—her security and spirits.

She used to be able to walk to class and even enjoyed walking around campus in her free time. Now, she has to have someone walk with her every time she leaves her house. She constantly looks over her shoulder, even when going from her car to her house.

“My sense of safety has been stripped from me. I am always in fight or flight mode to this day when walking around campus,” Bettin said.

The Aurora Center assists with safety planning for people who are at risk for or who have experienced gender-based violence (sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment, and relationship violence). The effect of trauma on the brain and body can vary from person to person. During a traumatic event, the brain is flooded with four different types of hormones: catecholamines (adrenaline), cortisol, opiates, and oxytocin. This hormone flood is designed for the body to protect itself against the assault, but it often also impairs rational thought.

The Aurora Center provides risk reduction tips and prevention methods that may help keep individuals safer.

Christopher Kelly, a public relations strategist at the Aurora Center said the Aurora Center provides crisis counseling and emotional support from a trauma-informed approach.

“Violence is never the fault of the victim,” Kelly said.