On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the UH community organized a protest advocating for their safety amidst the rise of crimes on campus.
Parents and students demanded transparency in how the University was using its funds for student safety.
The protest was organized by Deeds not Words at UH and attracted the attention of major local news outlets like ABC13 Houston, KHOU 11 and Fox 26 Houston.
The protest began in front of M.D. Anderson Library and escalated to a march to Butler Plaza where students gave speeches and continued to chant for more safety.
It was then moved to the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building which also houses the office of President Renu Khator.
Student residential spaces feel unsafe, students say
Management information systems junior Daisy, who preferred to go by her first name only, shared an incident where she and a friend were verbally harassed on campus.
They were walking outside the Moody dorms when two men approached them and continued to verbally harass them.
They hurried into Cougar Village 1 where they parted ways to their respective rooms. It wasn’t until she had already entered the building that she realized the men had followed her.
“I live on campus, am I supposed to stay locked in my dorm all day?” Daisy said. “UH security needs to be ramped up to do a better job.”
On Aug. 27, during the 2024 fall semester, a student was held at gunpoint and robbed inside his dorm in the Moody Towers.
Since the start of February 2025, 11 different crime reports have been made in student residencies with crimes ranging from theft to trespassing.
Parents show concern at the protest
With their children’s lives on the line, parents also joined the fight to demand new security protocols and urge Khator to make a change.
UH mother Catherine Godbold traveled from Austin to show her support for not only her freshmen daughter but for the rest of the students on campus.
Godbold was worried about UH’s campus safety considering its location in Third Ward but after some research, she felt confident enough to send her daughter there. However, the recent crimes on campus have made her rethink her choice.
“We’ve got a student being robbed of their scooter, a student being raped in my daughter’s parking garage and a student being held at gunpoint by four individuals and nothing has changed,” Godbold said. “They are going to lose students.”
Parents are disappointed by the University’s response following the violent crimes, claiming that increased security is not helping the problem.
“I wanted to feel assured after that email was sent out, but after everything I heard and saw, I knew nothing was changing,” Godbold said. “There were supposedly patrol cars outside the Welcome Center garage with their windows up, not helpful.”
Parents expressed the intention of removing their students from UH to ensure their safety, expressing that crimes on campus should never have to drive students away from their education or from experiencing college life.
Parents showed their concerns at the protest, at the University of Houston, on Feb. 12, 2024. | Gauraangi Gupta/The Cougar
This is especially difficult for students who have specific majors that not many in-state universities offer, causing students to choose between their well-being and achieving a career.
“I am thinking of taking her out of school, but her major is so specific that not many schools offer it,” said UH mother Lourdes Medina. “My daughter wanted the college experience and she’s been loving it, but she’s going to be very upset if we have to switch things up.”
However, students no longer feel safe leaving their dorms during the evening hours which costs them their college experience.
“My daughter doesn’t go to dinner sometimes now, since Friday,” Godbold said. “I was making signs with my daughter in CV 1 this morning and I was hearing other students say they are scared every night, it is unacceptable.”
Rise in racism
While many students have demanded campus police to be more active, some believe an increase in police presence could lead to the discrimination of Black students.
In fear of racial profiling, students believe reactive solutions are only putting students in danger and are urging school officials to invest in safety programs such as Cougar Ride.
“After the incident that took place on Friday, as a woman I fear for my safety,” said sociology junior Shey Russell. “But as a Black woman, the fear of violence is intertwined with the fear that UH’s response of increased police will result in unjust criminalization because of how I look.”
Students’ demands
During the protest, students strongly expressed discontent with UH security decisions following multiple crimes committed on campus in the past week including the one that happened this week, on Feb. 11.
“After seeing the latest sexual assault case, I got really scared for my sister,” said computer science junior Talal Alhajrasi. “That’s the main reason I came here today.”
Students believe that worrying about their safety while going to college shouldn’t be a concern for them.
They actively demand more security and accountability from the University, considering how much money they are paying for everything on campus.
“The amount of money they make through parking is wild,” Alhajrasi said. “I have noticed that the parking enforcement officers have access to cameras all inside the garage, but they only use that for giving parking violation citations.”
On Saturday, Feb. 8 UH released an email claiming they will increase security specifically at the Welcome Center Garage and work immediately on long-term strategies, according to the statement.
However, students still do not feel confident about the school making any meaningful changes.
In 2023, two students died by suicide in Agnes Arnold, sparking several protests and conversations surrounding mental health support on campus.
“I do feel like it’s all temporary solutions,” Russell said. “We can see that with Agnes Arnold, they didn’t fully inform us of what happened, and their solution was to put fences around the building. Why is nothing being done?”
Students like Alhajrasi and Russell emphasize that Student Garage is just one parking space, there are more such spaces that require security.
“We know that eventually they’re not gonna be as many police officers anywhere,” Russell said. “This is just so they can get us to shut up right now.”
Apart from demanding better security, students present at the protest had other demands as well, as they believed the officers are not as committed as they should be.
“The police officers we have here are on their phones in the car and not paying any attention,” Alhajrasi said.
The protest organizers also demanded UH to defund UHPD and start funding independent, student organizations that are focused on protecting their peers.
Students emphasized how despite UHPD being in an area as busy as the Student Center, it still led to a gunpoint robbery.
“I do not want to rely on UHPD for our security and funding UHPD is not the answer,” said Deeds not Words at UH member and public health senior Mina Vuong. “I want that funding to go towards community-based organizing and resources that have students’ voices included in them and ensure crime prevention.”
Windows of demands
To end the protest, the organizers circulated a sheet of paper with their demands and taped it down on the glass doors of the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building.
Students sticking the sheet of paper with their safety demands at the end of the protest, on the glass doors of the Ezekiel W Cullen Building at the University of Houston, on Feb. 12, 2024. | Gauraangi Gupta/The Cougar
“Renu Khator’s office is in this building and this serves as her entrance and exit,” Vuong said. “Whenever she goes home today, I want her to look at all the papers that are posted up here and that she cannot ignore the students.”
Students want to choose where their money is going and demand more transparency from the University, Vuong said.
Another protest will be held at the Board of Regents meeting, on Thursday, Feb. 19 at the UH Hilton Hotel. The protestors and organizers urged everyone to join the movement and show support.
“That girl was just trying to get in her car in the parking garage,” Alhajrasi said. “She should have been safe.”
