‘ You’re securing your bicycle before entering a building, walking down the dorms to say hello to a friend, or simply walking from one class to another without thinking – you have maybe two or three minutes to make a choice.
How do you go about deciding which place is safer to walk to or closer to an emergency box when you are running late to class and all you want is a parking spot?
‘ These activities are normal among students studying, living or just visiting the University, but recent thefts, assaults, and trespassing on campus should make students question their habits.
‘ There is no way to prevent every crime, as UH Police Department officials recognize. Campus police have considered safety measures such as installing more security cameras and increasing the number of blue light emergency phones, but shouldn’t these services be expanded?
‘ There are still places where there is not much lightning, and some students don’t know about the security escorts and that they are available at any time of day or night. Recent incidents of robberies have students, especially women, uncertain about how safe they really are on this campus.
While students should keep their guard up at all times, campus police and University administrators need to prove to students and staff that the campus is safe.
‘ The antagonists of these incidents are mostly people who have nothing to do with the school. There is no mystery here – people come and go as they please from the library or bookstore, and nobody seems to notice.
Campus officials will occasionally send security alerts and encourage faculty, staff and students to be alert, use the emergency call boxes, and call a security escort. But are these measures enough? Student safety should be a pressing concern, and campus officials are welcome to start more patrols at night instead of just telling students how to be cautious of their surroundings.
Lihue Rearte is a print journalism senior and may be reached at [email protected].