Sex offender enrolls at small college

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) - Some students at a local college are uncomfortable with a person on campus. The school is notifying students about a registered sex offender - but they're not saying who it is.

One young woman at Bryant and Stratton College says she does not feel comfortable going back to school unless administrators do something to ease her worries.

Ashley chose to attend Bryant and Stratton College, in large part, for its size.

"It's small. so usually everyone knows everyone," she said.

But her thoughts on that intimate learning atmosphere are changing after school officials notified her a level-2 sex offender - someone who has a moderate risk of assaulting again - has enrolled.

"I was sexually assaulted. And that definitely makes me more uncomfortable about this situation," Ashley said.

As a sexual assault victim, Ashley asked News 4 not to identify her. She says she deals with anxiety - another reason she attends a small school.

She's upset she didn't receive any reassurance the school is doing anything different to keep students safe.

"If they would have sent an e-mail with a picture, with details, and what we're doing to take security measures, it'd be a whole different ballgame," Ashley said. "Now everyone's a suspect."

The e-mail the college sent students is vague in many ways. It doesn't identify the sex offender, provide a photograph, or give any context to his crime.

But yet it's specific in one detail. It states: "The vulnerable group in this matter is women in their mid 30s."

When asked why on the e-mail, women in their mid-30s are considered a "vulnerable group," the school's director of WNY campuses Paul Bahr said he "wasn’t comfortable" answering.

Ashley assumes it may be because that was the age and gender of the victim. But it doesn't make her feel any better.

"I think it could be any woman. How would they know?" she said.

And although she's glad the school notified her, the lack of details makes her feel even more uneasy.

Bahr provided a written response to some questions, stating it is campus policy to notify students if a sex offender enrolls, and the school periodically reviews student safety.

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Here is the full text of the school's email to students:

To Faculty, Staff and Students,

The purpose of this communication is to notify the Amherst Campus community that a Registered Level 2 Sex Offender is attending the Amherst Campus.

The vulnerable group in this matter is women in their mid 30’s. Should you have further questions please contact Cathy Oddo, Dean of Student Services.

Thank you.

Michael A. Mariani
Campus Director

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Police departments at SUNY schools are required by law to notify students. Buffalo State College puts announcements in the University Bulletin and Record newspaper, e-mails all students, faculty and staff, and places a notice on the University Police website. But a spokesperson for the college says they haven't had to because no sex offenders have enrolled in the last 11 years.

But other non-SUNY schools are not required to notify students, and although Bryant and Stratton College did, News 4 spoke to a representative of Daemen College, who said the student body would not be notified if a sex offender enrolled. However, the representative said the sex offender would be asked to commute instead of live on campus.

Registered sex offenders are required to notify policy themselves if they enroll in college.