The emergency pole on Sept. 9, 2024. | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar
On Aug. 27, sophomore Ricardo Dyer was held at gunpoint inside his dorm in the Moody Towers.
The day before the robbery, a Rice University student, Andrea Rodriguez Avila, was found dead in her dorm room on Aug. 26.
These events have been a source of concern for UH students regarding their safety on campus.
“Safety on campus is not great. We literally just had that incident where a student was held at two gunpoints,” said digital media junior Peter Kassim. “As someone who’s been living on campus for three years, we need more security.”
Kassim was coming back to his dorm after a work shift the night of the break-in incident at Moody Towers.
“There was nobody there, I walked in and didn’t even swipe my card, that’s pretty dangerous,” Kassim said.
Kassim works on campus and often has to walk back to his dorm when it’s dark. Kassim expressed frustration with having to walk in areas where the lack of lighting could potentially put him at risk of being attacked or harassed.
Lighting has been a consistent issue at the University despite attempts to remedy concerns with projects like “Walk in the Dark” and the Campus Lighting Project.
“They delayed the Campus Lighting Project so long, and there are many spots around campus with zero light where people can feel unsafe or become a victim of a crime,” Kassim said.
UH students expressed various thoughts on what the next steps should be when dealing with crime on campus.
Students communicated the need for more security and changes at the dormitories such as adding a gate around the buildings. However, some students believe adding these changes would not help in the long run.
“I feel like people are pretty tricky when they want to get something, and new rules don’t normally stop a lot,” said biology chemistry freshman Jasmine Kolar. “It just normally makes it more difficult for the people trying to follow the rules.”
Students also expressed the need for consistent security and preventative measures from the UH Police Department.
“I think UHPD does a good job on tightening security, but I feel like after a couple of months it just goes away,” said management information systems sophomore Grace Nyamapfumba.
To help avoid the anxiety surrounding crime on campus, students shared a few tips for staying safe.
Students like Kolar and Nyamapfumba advise making sure that students do not walk alone when it is dark out or throughout unsupervised areas.
UH also offers security escort services if students don’t feel safe walking alone.
“I understand why students express that they’re uncomfortable, especially living in Cougar Place, you’re walking all the way to the back,” said Nyamapfumba. “I suggest don’t look down at your phone all the time, don’t wear your headphones and just make sure to have your wits about yourself and your surroundings.”
The Cougar tried contacting UHPD multiple times but didn’t receive a response.
