By Jesse Fries
Others in the paper have brought you tips with a dash of humor, your orientation groups reviewed drinking habits and hopefully mom and dad have told you about the birds and bees.
However, as many freshmen move to their first urban area, near or around the University of Louisville and other students return, it’s imperative to review campus safety.
On August 21, a student reported?an attempted robbery by knife.? But he was not robbed or injured, stated the Belknap Crime Notification.
Department of Public Safety’s Minger Act Report for 2008, reported activity for calendar year 2007, reports five assaults, 96 thefts and seven non-forcible sex offenses on Belknap campus and its surrounding area.
U of L experienced everything from bomb threats to a hostage situation in Belknap’s Campus Health Services. The online report goes in depth on how to report crimes on campus and it should be required reading for all students.?
In response to these occurrences, U of L installed phones in all university buildings that allow administrators to properly inform students and staff of campus incidents.
Unfortunately, there was no advertised instruction on how to use the phones. Installment of these phones also failed to properly address the concerns of off-campus and commuter students.
To alleviate this problem, U of L set up a notification system that sends?email via university addresses and?text messages to cell phones. While the notification system does enhance communication between students and the university, it has issues which must be resolved.
Many students report not receiving text notifications or receiving them the next day. The university should help eliminate these communication problems if it truly wants to ensure the safety of students on campus.
Recently the university has streamlined the reporting of crimes (on campus) by changing the number of DPS to 911, a measure that reduces the need to memorize a seven digit phone number (852-6111); a good move that will make communication easier. While this still fails to address the failures of the notification system, it does make it much easier for students to report crimes.
Students could do more to avoid conflicts too. Two freshmen I talked with were oblivious to the dangers of walking across campus or the assaults that occurred last year. Students also leave their doors unlocked, presenting prime opportunities for thefts.
The DPS Web site (www.louisville.edu/police) is an excellent resource and should be used by all students as a means of both notification and information.
By exercising common sense, students can avoid becoming a victim of crime.
