Standing near Cafe Camino in the afternoon, Rosalina Morfin,18, and her friend were talking to a group of students when they noticed a man hovering nearby.
“Not even arms length, he was really close, it was weird,” Morfin said.
He tried to talk to them after the group of women they were talking to left.
“He was kind of just swaying back and forth…he was asking our names, we said fake names I’m pretty sure,… ?” she said.
They ended up saying strained goodbyes, and left.
However, the man proceeded to follow them as they walked nervously down the long corridor north of the Cafe, toward the Schauerman Library. Then they sharply turned toward the Anthropology Museum.
After finding a group of students to join, the man proceeded to stand and wait distantly before he finally left.
“I was trying not to make eye contact,” Morfin said.
According to interviews with several students on campus conducted by The Union, these types of cases are becoming all too common.
Annual security reports from various community colleges and universities point towards an increased trend of sexual offenses.
El Camino College itself has seen a spike in fondling cases this semester. The college went from zero reported cases in 2024 to four known instances of sexual battery occurring during the fall 2025 semester.
Similarly, UC Berkeley has experienced a 76.9% increase from 2023-2024 data.
“I have seen an increasing number of students come to my office with concerns about feeling uncomfortable with other students for a variety of reasons,” Director of Title IX, Diversity and Inclusion at ECC Jaynie Ishikawa said.
Most of these instances are interpersonal conflicts between students, but there is a growing concern among students of outside people coming and harassing individuals.
Biochemistry major Christina Robinson, 20, said she experienced an instance where a homeless individual made her feel uncomfortable just outside the Schauerman Library in the afternoon.
“I think I’ve seen him twice on campus, but that was the first time he engaged,” Robinson said.
As different colleges take proactive measures against sexual offenses, ECC offers students escorts to their vehicles at night, among other services.
“I do like my officers to be more visible when it gets dark, we do offer rides [and] transport to anybody who doesn’t feel safe,” ECC Police Chief Matthew Vander Horck said
Santa Monica Community College has a newly implemented service for students which allows dispatchers to watch them as they walk to their cars.
The service is offered on their safety app, Corsair Alert. Dispatchers are able to track students through two digital buttons, one for an emergency and another for signaling when the walk has ended, according to Chief of Police at Santa Monica College Johnnie Adams.
At ECC, there are currently discussions of expanding some of the services Rave Mobile Safety offers, according to Sergeant Ruben Lopez.
“There are talks of expanding some of the programs that we have here at the college…that’s something we could use here at the college, that would benefit our students,” Lopez said.
At University of California campuses such as UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UCLA, preventive talks take place for students, primarily outlining the dangers of being under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Adams mentions these talks are in response to current trends with sexual offense crimes, based on his prior experience working in UCLA and USC’s police department.
“Many of the crimes that we found when we had sexual offenses, it usually was with somebody they knew, and it usually had to do with substance abuse or alcohol,” Adams said.
Safety personal alarms such as She’s Birdies, or fixed digital panic buttons have been increasingly utilized across college campuses, with a study from Campus Safety Magazine on 2024 Panic Alarms and Mobile Duress Systems and Apps finding that 49% of colleges and universities are in the market for these types of tools.
“What you’re trying to do is draw attention to the attacker,” Vander Horck said.
El Camino College Cheif of Police Matthew Vander Horck stands in front of his California Sheriff patch collection in his office at the ECC Police Station, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Oriana de Quay | The Union)
It’s important that students know what kinds of services are available if an incident of this nature occurs, as often these crimes are underreported, according to Ishikawa.
“My job is not to force anybody to do anything, because particularly, if they’re a survivor of any type of sexual violence, their choices have often been taken away from them…my job is to make sure that students know what all their options are, so that you can make the best choice for yourself,” Ishikawa said.
Students can refer to the Title IX office to explore options such as: restraining orders, conflict-resolution, extended class deadlines and more.
To contact the Title IX office, message [email protected] or call 310-660-3813.