Students Face Harassment in Town of Exeter

From groups of girls being yelled at while walking down Water St. to accounts of a white pickup truck harassing students on Front Street, Academy students have reported stories of slurs, names and catcalls hurled at them on the streets of Exeter.

“I’ve personally experienced catcalling in the town of Exeter but very rarely on the actual Exeter campus.”

“I’ve personally experienced catcalling in the town of Exeter but very rarely on the actual Exeter campus,” said senior Jacqueline Byrne. “Unfortunately, I think in Exeter it is somewhat of a common occurrence.”

“Usually it’s not anything particularly obscene but just people making rude and loud noises,” senior Milena DeGuerre said of the harassment. “It’s often a group of young guys with their friends. I’ll walk around town a few times a week and hear something.”

Senior Molly Canfield noted the feelings of discomfort or surprise that come from being harassed on the streets. “In my two years at Exeter, catcalling has always been an issue,” she said. “When walking to Lexie’s or D Squared [Java], it was always a bit shocking when you were catcalled.”

Canfield also mentioned that, from her personal experience, the severity and frequency of such harassment dramatically increased after President Trump’s election last November. “After the election, catcalling became a frequent occurrence,” she said. “The calls changed from creepy but harmless to shouts of genuine rage. Local men driving by in pickup trucks felt empowered.”

Campus Safety Officer Paul Gravel also noted that Campus Safety had observed a rise in the number of hostile encounters between Exonians and members of the town. Gravel attributed this increase to the fact that Court Street had just been closed off, leading to an increase in pedestrian traffic through Front Street. “Just last week I got four reports and two phone calls from Exeter residents about issues at crossroads,” said Gravel. The majority of such incidents simply stemmed from students