By Dennis O’Neil
As the spring semester begins at the University of Louisville, campus safety remains a prevalent issue with many students. Several students have professed their anxiety about walking on campus after dark.
Sophomore education major Stephanie Ward said she feels a female student is taking a huge risk by walking on campus alone at night.
“I don’t feel comfortable being around campus at all at night,” Ward said. “There are so many stories about people getting jumped. I never feel safe walking by myself.”
Sophomore justice administration major Katie Bell said after the assaults on campus last semester, she is very careful on campus at night.
“I always have someone with me no matter what when I’m on campus at night,” Bell said. “I’ve usually felt pretty safe on campus, but you never can be too careful.”
According to crime logs on the Department of Public Safety’s Web site, U of L did see an increase in assault crimes in the fall 2007 semester, with 11 reported occurrences from September to December. This is a heavy departure from spring 2007, which had four, and fall 2006, which had five.
According to Major Kenny Brown of DPS, campus security is focusing its attention on areas where the crimes have occurred, so that they do not persist. He also said that there is more of a security force on campus at night than there is during the day.
“The security force on campus at night does not lessen at all,” Brown said. “We tell our officers to focus their patrols as much as possible toward places with heavier potential for crime, such as parking lots and residence halls.”
Brown also said that theft is the more common crime on campus, with the DPS crime log reveal ing 96 occurrences in fall 2007. This number is down from 102 in spring 2007 and 110 in fall 2006. Brown said that most thefts on campus occur with students leaving their possessions out in the open for someone to steal.
“Often it will happen in the library, with a student leaving a book bag or a laptop out in the open,” Brown said. “Students will also leave items exposed in their cars and leave their car door unlocked, which will result in theft.”
Brown said that DPS is working to minimize theft as much as possible, focusing security officers in parking lots around campus to deter theft. Despite Brown’s reassurance of security presence, the danger of assault is still just as real in the minds of some students.
Sophomore communication major Emily Ping recalled an incident last semester when a man stalked her from Unitas Hall to Kurz Hall.
Ping said that as she sprinted to get away from the man, he pursued her all the way up to the door of Kurz.
“There were people coming out of Kurz as I was running in so I got right in the door,” Ping said. “The man walked around outside for a while but finally left. I guess it was pretty stupid of me to be walking alone at night.”
In order to combat incidents like these, DPS director Wayne Hall emphasized the escort service that the university offers at all times, day or night. Hall said that the escort service already gets a lot of use from students.
According to Hall, DPS had 339 escorts, including 108 motor assistance escorts, from October to December of 2007, referring to the service DPS offers to motorists in need.
For escort service assistance, students should call 852-6111.
