Students’ Safety Concerns Continue to Escalate

Benjamin Engle

Union College students are increasingly looking over their shoulders as they travel on and around campus in the dark because of recent crimes and safety breaches that have occurred.

Since the mugging of a female member of the class of 2009 on September 20^th and the attacking of a male student on Nott Street ten days later, students have been more concerned about their safety while out at night. These concerns, however, are not limited to the weekend; an increasing number of students are afraid to walk alone when leaving the library in the early-morning hours after a member of Gamma Phi Beta was approached on her way from Schaffer Library to the Beuth parking lot by an unknown man.

As a result of the recent crimes involving Schenectady residents and Union students, members of Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Delta Tau have decided to take action against, what it seems, the increasing level of crime in the Union campus vicinity. After hearing fears from fellow sisters about the crime around campus, Nicole Silverman, the Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta, decided to represent the three sororities on “Greek Row,” an area behind the hockey rink that is home to approximately 200 female students.

In the search for answers and solutions, Silverman wrote a position paper with various proposals for a safer campus and presented them to the administration and campus safety.

“We ask that our concerns and fears be taken into serious consideration and that something be done as soon as possible,” Silverman stated.

Within her proposal, Silverman argues that campus safety officers are inefficiently used and that suggests that they are not deterrents of crime.

“Campus safety shouldn’t be more concerned over the freshmen dorms,” Silverman said. “They need to be monitoring the areas where crime happens the most, especially Greek rows and Lennox Avenue. Campus safety officers need to be better trained and should be armed.”

While Silverman believes that campus safety could make students safer on campus, Christopher M. Hayen, the Assistant Director of the Union Campus Public Safety Department, understands student concerns, but thinks campus safety is efficient, “Improvements can always be made, but I believe campus safety does a very good job of keeping the campus safe. The officers are pro-active as much as possible in identifying threats to the campus and taking the appropriate action.”

Contradictory to Silverman, Hayen doesn’t think all officers should be armed because of how the department is currently structured.

Silverman, in addition to better-trained safety officers, is pushing a plan to increase the number of campus safety booths all around campus. According to Silverman’s estimates, one safety booth costs $26,000. She believes that reducing each Minerva House budget by $10,000 could fund the initiative, however, her funding plan may be hurt since Minervas are funded through a specific charge to students on their tuition bill.

“There needs to be constant surveillance of the areas where crime occurs the most, however, video cameras and blue lights don’t deter crime since they can not physically protect us,” Silverman said.

While Hayen believes that the addition of safety booths is not a bad suggestion, he doesn’t see it as the best use of resources,” I feel the man power can better be used by actively patrolling the campus than being at a stationary post.”

Silverman believes that if safety booths are not feasible, then Union should have a closed campus with officers at each gate.

“I understand that a closed campus sends the wrong message to the community,” Silverman states, “but the community already believes that they can come on campus and attack students without any consequence.”

Many of the crimes taking place on campus, however, according to Hayen, wouldn’t be deterred by a closed campus, “[A closed campus] would help in accounting for who is on campus and denying access to those who have no legitimate reason for being here, however, the majority of crime on campus is committed by students or their guests so I don’t think we would see a significant drop in the numbers.”

As for safety around the campus vicinity, Hayen says that campus safety does not have the authority to police city streets as it is within the jurisdiction of the Schenectady Police Department.

While Union campus safety can’t patrol Schenectady streets, Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett and the Schenectady Police Department are aware of safety concerns.

“The city police officers regularly patrol the area that surrounds the campus and like all areas of the city, the patrol coverage is dedicated to specific area posts,” Commissioner Bennett said. “On occasion we have increased patrol coverage consistent with current activity levels and intelligence which is updated daily by our crime analysis staff. We have almost real time data which is computerized thereby indicating to us the locations and time of day that we need to devote additional police patrol resources to address current trends.”

In addition surveillance, Commissioner Bennett, President Ainlay, and the mayor of Schenectady, Brian Stratton, have participated in discussions regarding additional financial resources to augment the city’s current camera project. Bennett’s goal is to implement additional live-monitored cameras in and around the campus to provide coverage for the entire campus. Currently there are three installed on city streets surrounding the campus.

With approximately nine registered sex offenders living within a block of the Union campus, according to the National Sex Offender Registry, Silverman doesn’t believe that cameras are going to physically protect Union students, only better trained officers can do that.

“Students should be able to have the luxury of studying at the library and not have to be worried about their life as they leave it’s doors,” Silverman added.

While Silverman understands that students can call the campus escort service, she believes the operation is pointless since escorts are more often than not fellow students and they don’t specialize in how to protect people.

Silverman is uncertain if the administration and campus safety will adopt her safety proposals though she wonders what it will take for the college to improve campus safety, “Why should anyone feel unsafe at college? Schenectady residents know students are around to be robbed.”

Barrett believes that the relationship between Union College Students and the local residents is generally positive, however, “I urge all students to take common sense precautions when it comes to their own personal safety and I most especially encourage them to keep the well being of their fellow students in mind at all times.”

Silverman, nonetheless, is not convinced that she or her fellow students are safe, “Students and outsiders should come to our campus and feel safe. Every member of Union College should know that when they walk on campus, they do not have to question whether or not they may be the next victims of crime, though when the sun sets, crime is likely to occur at Union.”

Originally published in Union's Concordy on October 23, 2008.