Such ignorance is one reason that George Mason University enacted a comprehensive stalking policy in 1999. It remains perhaps the only university policy in the country that spells out what stalking is and lists specific punishments for violators. It says violators will be subject to disciplinary action and criminal prosecution. Connie J. Kirkland, the coordinator of sexual-assault services at George Mason, urged the university to enact the policy when she realized that roughly a third of the students who came to her were stalking victims whose problems were unrelated to sexual assault. Another educational effort, the Love Me Not campaign, was unveiled by the Los Angeles district attorney's office last Valentine's Day.
Some colleges find that simply raising awareness goes a long way.
We usually find that sitting them down in the station and talking to them is all we need to do. Stalking on college campuses rarely turns violent. Ms. King says she has had only one such case in her year as chief. In the beginning, the prosecution of stalking was seen primarily as a deterrent to more-destructive actions down the road. Now, the focus is much more on the psychological toll of the act itself.