By Margaret Varner

Being a young adult is a marvelous trait. However, people confuse this stage in life with traits such as invincible, courageous and clever. A student at the University of Louisville may see it safe to wander around campus alone at night without a care in the world. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Students need to take certain precautions, especially late at night in this area of Louisville.

The U of L campus has had recent reports of robbery and other ill-fated circumstances. Students are informed about these frequent events through e-mails and it makes me wonder how this problem could be resolved.

At the end of each informative e-mail, tips are presented about how to prevent these situations. Such tips include: “Walk with other people, especially in the evening hours, avoid isolated areas and report any suspicious activity to ULPD [University of Louisville Police Department] at 852-6111.” However, how well do students actually execute these tasks?

Nick Pappe, a commuter student said, “I watch my back when I walk alone late at night more than I used to, but I still walk alone.” He and many other students still do not walk in groups or use the “buddy system” on a daily basis.

However, freshman resident Lydia Cox said, “Because of those e-mails I feel like I should be walking in a group wherever I go; even in the late afternoon. I never really feel unsafe, but I do feel like I need to take precautions due to the recent events.”

Unfortunately, there are still some students who believe they are invincible. “I feel safe on campus and I would feel no discomfort walking around late at night. I’m from a small town and I’m not used to having to take extra steps to be safe,” said Kinsey Wheartly, another freshman resident.

Through questioning these students, it has become clear that e-mail, text and verbal notifications are observed differently across our student population. However, students are only receiving a fraction of the crimes reported to the university police. According to the University of Louisville Crime Log, there were 52 reported crimes on campus in the month of March, many of these crimes being theft or harassment.

When told this fact, sophomore commuter student Rob Carlson said, “I find it very alarming that we only are told some of the instances that affect the security of our campus and I do not want to be one of those affected.”

To prevent further attacks, many students have either participated in or taught self-defense classes. Recently, sophomore Dustin Seabolt held a self-defense class at the School of Music, hosted by service sorority Delta Omicron. “I believe the class was very informative and productive for the people who came, but I wish more people would have come because everyone, especially women, need to know how to protect themselves.” To help more students, Delta Omicron is holding another class at a later time and other student organizations plan on holding their own self-defense classes to help even more of our student population.

To report any crime or suspicious activity, call 852-6111 for help. Always walk in groups and be aware of your surroundings. You are only as vulnerable as you allow yourself to be.

-Margaret Varner

Freshman

Music major