Assault on SCAD graduate student
To the Editor:
My name is Syed Kazim Abidi, and I am a first year international graduate student in Film and Television.
This is my first quarter at SCAD and have already been a victim of assault. I would like to draw the attention of SCAD authorities and students of the assault incident that occurred Oct. 10 at around 8:25 p.m.
I was walking on my way back to my home on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd from the Jen Library.
As I came near Anderson drive I saw a police officer talking to a young man between 18-20 years of age in black baggy shorts and white T-shirt. I kept on walking.
When I crossed Anderson drive, 5-6 teenagers wearing black shorts and white T-shirts intercepted me. They asked me to buy drugs from them. I didn’t look at them and said, “No.”
Then they asked me for money. I told them I didn’t have any money, and the next thing I knew, was being punched and kicked all over my body.
I started shouting and asking for help but in vain. They left me lying on the ground after about 10 minutes.
Running for safety, I saw the same police officer parked at Anderson drive and I told him what happened.
The officer took my statement and asked me if I wanted to lodge a report. I was completely traumatized, and, in
this mental state, I did not lodge the report.
The officer called an ambulance and he told me that he would call me the next day.
I was taken to the Savannah Memorial University Hospital. I was in the hospital until 1 a.m. I tried calling a few friends but they were too far away and did not have cars.
According to the X-rays, there is a fracture in one of the bones of my face. The doctor has referred me to a plastic surgeon. With my right eye bloodshot and a swollen face, I returned home around 2:00 a.m.
Because of the painkillers prescribed to me, I was drowsy and nauseous the next day. I was never received a phone call from the police officer that helped me.
I thought of going to the SCAD security office and lodging a complaint but was physically unable to do so as I was bedridden.
On Oct. 12, two days after the assault, I gathered my strength, and made a report with the SCAD Security office. They called another police officer who took my statement as well, lodged a report and gave me pamphlet with my report number on it.
This all happened before my midterms, and I missed three days of class. Luckily, my professors understood my situation and offered me extensions. Now, each time I go for my classes, I have to think if it’s safe for me to go or not.
I have no family here in the US. I cannot inform my parents back home as this will bring undue stress and worry for them.
I sincerely question the safety and security of international students in Savannah, where crime has become an everyday affair.
In the next couple of days, I made an appointment with the plastic surgeon. This required me to go to the Medical Records Department at the hospital.
Since I don’t have any personal means of transportation, as advised by the Internation Student Services Office (ISSO), I called SCAD Security for a ride. For at least 45 minutes I was transferred to and from SCAD Transportation to SCAD. No one would give me a definite answer.
Frustrated and disappointed, I decided to go back to the ISSO. It was only after their call that SCAD Security denied my request, informing us that the service was discontinued after a private company took over the security department at SCAD.
I am thankful to the ISSO staff members for patiently listening and acting on my behalf. They went above and beyond when one staff member drove me to the hospital in her personal car.
I do not know the expenses that have been accrued in my treatment. I have been informed that my insurance will cover up 90 percent of the cost. The rest has to be covered by me. In my tight financial condition, it seems impossible for me to shell out even a couple of hundred dollars for an incident that wasn’t my fault.
This incident has raised several questions in my mind regarding SCAD and Savannah:
If SCAD can take students to Wal-Mart, Target and other shopping places why, in emergencies like this, can’t they provide transportation for students to the hospital?
I have seen e-mails sent out when a crime involving a SCAD student has taken place. Why wasn’t there any e-mail sent after my assault?
How seriously does the police department take international students? I am still waiting for the officer to call me back.
For that matter, I have no been contacted by either the police department or SCAD Security for a follow-up.
I hope the SCAD administration takes some possible steps regarding the efficiency of SCAD Security and SCAD Transportation as well as initiate effective measures to curb assaults on its students.
It is my hope through this email to educate my fellow students, faculty and staff and/or other victims of similar incidents to call upon for a stronger support system and a secure SCAD campus.
Syed Kazim Abidi
Graduate student / Film and Television
Editor’s Note: An account of the assault is found in the College Security Report.
