News of Colby College Murder Ripples to Middlebury

Author: Andrea Gissing

In the past weeks much headway has been made in the investigation of the murder of Colby College senior Dawn Rossignol. Charges were filed on Sept. 25 against Edward Hackett, 47, a previously convicted felon. The arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 2 in the Waterville District Court in Maine. As members of the Colby College community breathe a sigh of relief that answers explaining the murder are being found, concerns about student safety on campus still run rampant.

The body of Rossignol was found Wednesday, Sept. 17, near a stream in Oakland, Maine. Rossignol had been reported missing by her family when she failed to arrive at a doctor's appointment in Bangor. Her car was found 300 feet away from her body. Police said that Rossignol was abducted in her car Sept. 16 from a college parking lot.

Head of the Criminal Division at Maine State Police Lt. Timothy Doyle stated that there was no association between Hackett and Rossignol. "Colby College could have been any parking lot at any facility in Maine."

Hackett has a history of robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping. He was first convicted in Utah in 1979 for theft, was in and out of prison during the 1980s and in 1994 was sentenced to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for kidnapping and robbery convictions. At the time of his arrest in Maine, he was on parole and staying with his parents.

Following the abduction, security on Colby's campus has been heightened, with the College scheduling extra security, counseling and student services staff coverage. The Waterville Police Department also provided more frequent patrols through campus.

Waterville, Maine, where Colby College is located, is a small town that rarely, if ever, sees violent crime. Indeed, the state of Maine normally has fewer than 20 murders a year. Similarities can easily be drawn between there and Middlebury, both small towns, unused to hard crime, regarded by college students as being in a "bubble." If these two places are so similar, could something like the Rossignol's murder happen here? Should it be something we worry about?

"When I think of news and how we would respond to it there are several things I think about," said Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah. "Was the campus really involved? Why did [the incident] occur? Could it have been prevented from happening? If so, then what could have been done to prevent it?

"If it was really connected to the [Colby] College campus, then we could really look and see if we are vulnerable in the same way and if there are things we can change. In this [the murder at Colby], we did not see anything that made us think we had to change our system."

Boudah instead stressed that it is important for people to maintain a level of awareness about their own safety and take basic precautions. These include walking with a friend at night and having a plan of where one is going and let others know of the plan. "If people happen to get into a situation where the unusual happens," she said, "they have to make good, sound decisions that should err on the cautious side."

After a student was assaulted in the Ross dorms two years ago, the College set new safety protocols into action. As a result the College implemented the dorm lockdown, which at first, while few details about the case were known, was seen as a reassuring step. Since then the College has moved to the access card system, which has the potential flaw that all students with an access card can go into every dorm. However, having the access system also provides a level of security, that only people who are supposed to be able to get into the buildings can. Boudah says students appreciate this measure.

While the murder at Colby was a distressing incident, it was far enough removed from Middlebury that the College is not taking extra measures to protect students. Rossignol's life will be mourned and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death will be lamented.

For now, the College says knowing about the incident should raise everyone's awareness about themselves and their own personal safety while on campus.