University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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Crime Alert Living and Learning in an urban environment University police (UCPD) nope out the icene in Dwmelle Plaza. With o§ices in Sproul Hall, the UCPD, independent from but working in conjunction with the Berkeley Police Department, served the UC campus. campus crime Statistics Cal is situated in an urban area, and with the advantages of resources and centrality come disadvantages, spe- cifically crime. Upon coming to Cal, students are familiarized with the safety precautions of locking their possessions, walking in groups, and being aware of their surroundings. Among the various crimes students are confronted with, theft remains the majoraffliction, followed byalco- hol and drug violations. While more serious crimes, such as assault, rape, and murder are rarely reported on the Berkeley campus, students recog- nize the realities of do their part to ensure campus safety ' ' ° ' ' ' ' IT in the urban envi- ... ronment. students through uindows, naked people runnini;tlirouv:h the streets of fraternit) ' row while the city had a blackout, and an ncident where a student got pelted b) ' a large -e ietable and v ' as ient to the emergency room. Typicall) ' , CSOs may be seen ' Tierely walking students or strolling the campus on patrol, but heir li -es are much more e.vciting than the average Berkeley itudent realizes. If students are walking home late at night and cannot call for an escort, CSOs advise them to try to walk with someone else, be aware of their surroundings at all times, x ' - alk with conhdence. walk m well- lit areas, trust their instinct.s. and if there are suspicious people, cross the street and walk on the other side. Although people may know these techniques, surprisingly many people still take unnecessary risks. In the end if something happens, it ' s not worth it. Students should not be naive and belie e that crimes will not happen to them, l: cn though CSOs are well iJi u ' flB trained ro perform m such an environment, they too get scared. Pam Swan, a twent ' -year old psycholog) ' major and CSO for over a year, jokes that she started The University of California Police Department (UCPD), located in Sproul Hall, is the primary law en- forcement agency on campus and serves the students and residents by preventing, patrolling, and investi- gating crimes that occur on campus and associated University properties. The UCPD works closely with the Ber- keley Police Department and is staffed by 82 officers, 45 full-time non-sworn personneland 50 student employees. Under the Student Right to Know Act, passed in 1990, The UCPD is required to disclose all reported instances of crime on the campus. The table (bot- tom) charts the crime trends in the last three years on the campus. Community Service Officers at the comer of Te egraph and Bancroji escort a student on her walk home after late- ' k service, ' , CSOs attempted to I alleviate campus crime tnd provided safety and comfort to students. Homicide Rape 1 2 2 Robbery 32 24 15 Aggravate Assualt 12 10 8 Sexual Assault -With Force 3 1 3 Without Force 9 8 15 Burglary 62 80 56 Bicycle Tfiefts 525 440 311 Motor Vehicle Tfiefts 42 34 26 All Other Tfieft 789 923 926 Liquor Law Violations 171 479 516 Drug Abuse Violations 117 121 190 Weapons Possessions 32 34 27 Hate Crimes 2 Source: ' SjIcI) ' Count.s. ' L ' mveriily [ oIl,.t Department getting scared since she started watching the tcle ision show X- files ' . Your imaainarion is the .scariest thing, said Swan, but you should trust your instincts since they are there for a reason. Overall, the Community Ser ' ice Officer Program provides a great service to the campus that many people do not fully appreciate or utilize. The)- are here for our safet) ' and if the X- Hles ever scares you too bad, don ' t worry. } ' ou don ' t have to walk home alone. The boog) ' men can get the community service officer first while you run away.. .besides, that s their |ob. They re here to protect ' ou. -Anne Lee and Cheryl Pascual rralot: Stin Hiliin CAMPUS CRI.ME 21

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t nii ht, the Berkele) ' campus can be a formidable place. To provide a safer night environment, the University offers several campus safet) ' services such as the night safety shuttle, emergency phones, and campus police. The latter not only provides a walk escort .service, but its communit} ' service officers (CSOs) patrol the University, assist with campus events, and teach special De-Cal courses. The CSO Program s mi.ssion is to provide outreach to the campus communit} ' while helping to prevent crime on the campus. Ihe CSOs ' presence on campus has a ni,i|or role in lielping to deter attacks and cnmc at night and m the past iew years, the overall campus crime rates haw either remained steady or lowered. One of the primary ways the CSOs deter crime is their highly ' isible presence. In their tan uniforms, officers are easily recognized and tluycanbeseen EsCOrting StudetltS, performing a number of duties. The major shifts include a stadium area p,)trol, graveyard duty to patrol all of the dorms, crime watch to check windows and doors and give directions, and an escort service. tfceNicrK Although usually not armed with much but their wits, knowledge, a walkie-talkie, and the optional mace, their uniformed presence provides students and staff with a .sen.se of safety. A CSO officer may not always look like much of a bodyguard, but they are well trained to handle a -arietv of situations. (..SCXs know police codes, how to observ ' c surround- ings, take down detailed descriptions, and zhcy are very familiar with the campus geography, streets, and boundaries. In diis kind of |ob, street smarts are a necessity for keeping themselves and others safe at night. Abo e all. the - do not try to be heroes. In a single night a CSC ) can escort a multitude ol dner.sc people, from individuals to small groups and from the sober to the drunk. Mcist calls happen around midterms and finals, on weekends, and after big crimes. In addition to the walk service, aiding in emergencies, CSOs CSOs also patrol the campus and respond to crimes and strange events. Among these situations last year was the flooding of Haas Business School when a pipe burst and the neu ' school was flooded by a foot of water. CSOs responded to the emergenc) ' b) ' directing traffic while wading in a foot of cold water in the chilly Februarv ' night air. Other strange events included odd men mastLirbating m their cars wliile watching m im fl».« :ja

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L , Dorm reiuients queue up at the salad bar at the Unit lU dming commons. While many students complained about thejood, the DC did o er health-conscious foods. -he dorm contract includes a basic 14-meal plan, enabling students to eat 14 meals at the dining commons throughout the week. For some this is ajoy, for others, the food is |ust disgusting. Loren Tsai, a treshman, decided to get a 19-meal plan for his Hist year at college. I thought that everyone did, he explains. And most .seasoned strips ot chicken mixed with onions and bell peppers on a tlour tortilla. He also en|o ' s the plain ciiccsecake tor de.ssert. How about the ser ' ice people rlicmseK ' es ' The ' re not ' er ' nice, at least at L ' nit 1 , .said sophomore Maria Pan . The ' pick up the food and dump it on your plate. It seems like they don t want to work of the time, he manages to use most oi them, only missing one or two there, the) ' |ust want to earn money. Its bad enough that the food meals a week once in a v ' hile. But does he really enjoy what he is eatingr No, are you kidding? It ' s nasty. It just doesn ' t taste good, ' said Tsai. 1 don ' t understand how people could mess up sonicdiing simple like macaroni and cheese, he added. Freshman Robert Clark commented, fhe food s really not that bad. Some days it is, though, .so 1 eat cereal when there s nothing el.se that ' s good. Clark ' s favorite dish is chicken fajitas, which consists of Fine Dinin Despite its bad reputation, the resident hall dining commons offered variety and choice isn t that good there, but they have bad service, too, she explained. Tsai .sees the workers dif+erently. Some people are really enthusi- astic about this stuff, he admitted. One such worker is Richard Kim. a third-year chemistry major. who works at the Unit 1 dining commons. He has worked dierc tor one year, and he enjoys his |ob. I needed to make .some money, and the hours are flexible, says Kim, who v orks about 15 hours a week, and gets paid $6.22 hour. I like the people, I get along with them, and vou get a tree meal when ou work, adds Kim. 1 he dining workers are trained in all the |obs, like swiping the meal cards. ser ' ing food, taking care of the dining room by refilling the food and cleaning up. and w.ishing dishes. After die first month of training, if the worker has a preference, then the manager c. n assign that worker a specific task. According to Kim, most of the workers are foil-time staffers, and 22