A student has approached Critic Te Ārohi with an uncomfortable situation that took place in the Staff Club café, involving a “creepy” encounter with an older man who could not take a hint.
Anita* originally reached out to Critic with a letter to the Editor after an unpleasant run-in at Staff Club. There to meet a friend for lunch, Anita was approached by a man in the café before her friend arrived. He smiled and looped back around to ask her if she was the name of someone she didn’t quite catch – presumably who the man was there to meet.
Usually, the conversation would stop there – but this was only the start. The questions started rolling in: “Well, do you know this person? Can you help me find them? Campus is so beautiful, isn’t it?” Despite Anita describing to Critic her visible discomfort, the man persisted with his bombardment of queries. The conversation disappointingly continued, with Anita at this point “not making eye contact”. “I’m not really paying attention [at this point in the conversation],” she admitted to Critic. “I’m just trying to look away from him.” The questions and attempts at small talk continued. He asked about Anita’s degree, her hometown, and whether she likes it (none ya).
“He initially thought I was a fresher, which, having the rest of the context of the conversation [now] is even more creepy,” Anita said. Like clockwork, the man shifted the conversation to whether he could “have [her] number” which was met with a polite “no” from Anita. He then handed over his business card – “if you want to get in contact with me”.
Seemingly about to leave, the man suggested that if Anita was still in the Staff Club after his meeting was done, “Maybe we can meet up and chat. You can show me around Dunedin.” Dismissive of Anita’s reply of having class, he then said, “Okay, well I'm here for a couple more days, so I'll track you down and you can show me around.” Is that a threat? Having gained info about Anita’s hometown (where he was also from), he suggested that she make contact when she was back and “keep in touch”.
Supposedly there to meet with a Head of Department, Anita expressed fear that he may have been interviewing or meeting about a job (something Critic has been unable to confirm). Anita also suspected that the Staff Club café staff could sense the creepiness of the encounter that took place, given the worried glances she caught. When reiterating Anita’s experience to the University, a spokesperson told Critic, “The Proctor’s Office is available for students to raise concerns or complaints of this nature.”
The University of Otago advertises itself as being a safe campus, with dedicated support systems in place for any tauira who may find themselves in a similarly dodgy scenario as Anita’s. “If at any time you feel unsafe on campus, please contact Campus Watch. Campus Watch staff are available 24/7 to provide assistance and advice to ensure everyone feels safe on campus. You can contact them by phoning 0800 479 5000, texting 021 279 5000, emailing campus.watch@otago.ac.nz, or via the on-campus emergency phones. We recommend putting their contact details into your phone for easy access.”
*Name changed.