While it might seem like all college campuses are safe and encouraging places for students to learn, as they should be, it is sadly evident that this is simply not the case. It’s dangerous to walk anywhere by yourself at night, and sometimes even in broad daylight, or with someone you think you trust. It’s a sad truth that there are more dangers than failing a test while you’re in college, and UW student, Alec Cook, is one of these dangers.

A Junior at Madison before his arrest, Cook was recently arrested for the sexual assault of a colleague. Though, what started out as a single charge, quickly became a massive investigation for local enforcement, as more and more women began coming out about their own encounters with Cook.

Well over five women have since come out that Cook had either stalked them or sexually assaulted them, or both; and not all recently either. A majority of the complaints were from 2015, and investigators believe he could have been doing this since March of that year- though they cannot be positive whether his atrocious behavior goes even further back than this.

His lawyer, Chris Van Wagner claims that there are a “great deal of proof problems,” with these complaints that the women have been filing- stemming from the fact that some tended to wait so long to come forward. Perhaps if there wasn’t so much stigma and slut-shaming involved in reporting a sexual assault case (if you don’t believe me, just watch the news for a while and you’ll get the picture), then these women would have come out sooner. All it took was for them to see his face on the news, to know that someone else had faced the same horrible things they had, to come forward and make him pay for his crimes.

With the weight of multiple different victim’s accounts of the tragedies Alec Cook has caused, investigators also found notebooks in his Madison apartment containing the names of numerous acquaintances and peers, their hobbies and pastimes- going back to the multiple charges of stalking, as well as what law enforcement assume were his plans for the victims. In fact, in one such column, he simply wrote “kill,” which investigators have deemed inconclusive, but is a terrifying thought for anyone who had an encounter with him.

It’s insane how many people this man has hurt, and it’s a horrible reality that there are thousands of people- perhaps just in the UW system- that are getting away with this type of behavior, just as Alec Cook has for well over a year. No student, or anyone for that matter, should be afraid to leave their house, and no person should feel ashamed to speak out against heinous acts they have had to live through.

We can only hope that the lawyers and investigators on this case can uncover the truth, bring justice to the people Alec Cook has irreparably damaged, and make sure he will never be able to commit such crimes again. Hopefully the justice system won’t fail the victims, as they did with Brock Turner, John Enochs, Austin Wilkerson, and so many nameless rapists who will never have to face a punishment for the terrible shadow they have cast on their victims.

If you or anyone you know is facing a similar situation, is struggling to speak out about crimes done to them, or is contemplating whether or not to file a complaint against an assailant, keep in mind that- just like Alec Cook- these people have caused harm to countless people, and will continue to do so. You are not alone, and you can help to stop these vicious crimes, and end the stigma around coming forward.

Source: Treleven, Ed. "Prosecutor Says UW Student Will Face 30 Charges, Many Involving Sex Assaults of 4 Women, More Possible."

Host.Madison.com. Wisconsin State Journal, 25 Oct. 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.