Stalking

Stalking is not a new trend in society, but has recently become more prevalent on college campuses.  According to Kansas State Law, stalking is an intentional, malicious and repeated following or harassment of another person and making a credible threat with the intent to place such person in reasonable fear for such person's safety.  Stalking sometimes occurs when someone has a hard time dealing with the break-up of a relationship, but can also occur between complete strangers.  A stalker may have any number of reasons for harassing their victim:

• They may want to rekindle the relationship
• They may want to start a relationship
• They may just enjoy making the other person uncomfortable
• They may want to kill the person

Stalking is extremely dangerous and should be taken seriously.  Although the behavior may start in what seems like an innocent way, stalking can lead to the severe emotional distress of the victim, sexual assault, or even death.  Some examples of stalking behavior include, but are not limited to:

• Obscene or harassing phone calls or email (these can be made by the stalker or friends/family of the stalker)
• Repeatedly stopping by the victim’s room, classes, or places they frequent
• Leaving gifts (nice or threatening) for the victim
• Hacking into the victim’s computer

Students may not always recognize behavior as stalking, so it is important to pay attention when dealing with examples like those above. For more information on stalking, check out the links below:

Statistics and Facts

Options for Protecting Yourself

Online Harassment & Cyberstalking

Resources for Stalking Victims

Stalking Assistance Kits