Student Not at Fault in Rape

Regarding the article, “UCLA Rapes Spur Stricter Dorm Rules,” (Times, Feb. 19) by Tracey Kaplan:

One point should be clarified, clearly not the fault of Kaplan. The student who was the unfortunate victim of this rape did not leave her door unlocked. If the door was in fact unlocked, it was inadvertently done so by the roommate who returned to the room while the victim was sleeping. On several occasions and not by design, the victim in this case has been put into a position where it looks like she unwittingly rendered assistance to the perpetrators of this crime. Such is not the case. The victim was just that, a victim of a heinous crime.

Clearly the tenor of the time we live in makes it imperative that we put into operation more stringent guidelines regarding students living on campus. Be that as it may, what occurred is not the fault of a student or students, but of a society that has in reality grown more violent. We here at UCLA realize we don’t live in a vacuum.

PATRICK M. CONNOLLY,

Chief of police, UCLA