Temple University - Templar Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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JUST HOW SAFE DO TEMPLE STUDENTS FEEL? Temple is an unsafe school in an unsafe city.” Off campus is very dangerous and you better not walk alone!” People are getting murdered, lx-at up and robbed at random in broad daylight, even if [they’re with friends]. Where arc the police?” Temple University’s main campus has a r eputation on the Internet, as evidenced by these three comments from StudentsReview. com. But how safe or dangerous is the campus in reality? In 2013, according to the statistics published by C-ampus Safety Services, there were a combined total of 444 reported eases of the following crimes: forcible sex offense (11), robbery 26). aggravated assault (7), burglary (8), theft 378), motor vehicle theft (8), and arson (6). In comparison, there were 521 cases of these crimes in 2012, and 4% in 2011. Major crimes fell by approximately 15% from 2012 to 2013. Charles Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services, credited a new bicycle registration system, increased bicycle patrols and an increased police presence to decrease crime. “We’ve put a lot more bike resources out there because they’re highly visible,” Leone said in reference to the bicycle patrols, “We’ve seen a 50% decrease in bike thefts from this year to last year, which is big” Many students mentioned that the bike patrols helped them feel safe on campus. “There arc guys on bikes everywhere,” said senior Kyle I awIowski. Not everyone was so impressed by the police presence. Junior Christine Youwakim said bike patrols could be more frequent.” However, her biggest complaint was the response she received from campus security after a frightening incident. Christine heard a loud bang on her door the night of October 22 and later found it to be dented. She reported what happened to campus security, and did not appreciate their response. They basically said they couldn’t do anything, as that was a fairly regular occurrence,” Christine said. Another student. Conner Reitz, believes that students need to take more responsibility for their own safety. “I know there is trouble, but sometimes people bring it on themselves,” he said. Leone said that while he does not want to blame the victim, he docs believe students and faculty need to be aware of their surroundings. “You have to take some personal responsibility,” Leone said. We try to educate everyone. We talk about knowing your environment—being aware. One of the biggest distractions is our cell phones. Being aware of your surroundings is probably die most important thing” So how safe is Temple? The statistics say that crime rates in the area are dropping, and Campus Security Services is working on initiatives to decrease crime in the area. However, mam’ students feel unsafe at night or when they stray a couple of blocks away from the main campus area. Regardless, almost every student talked to said they generally feel safe on campus. JACK TO.MCZUK