There is a lack of student safety on campus, and the programs designed to increase safety are failing.

The Division of Public Safety employs 55 campus security guards to serve and protect 42,000 students and 11,000 professors, faculty, and staff members, not to mention any visitors the University may have. That equals one officer for every 963 individuals. Not all police officers are on duty at all times, and this changes the ratio to an even larger difference.

Students often receive emails describing crimes such as muggings, burglary, and rape. Certain areas are patrolled at night, but there are many areas with high crimes rates that do not receive the same amount of officer attention.

Safe Rides, a program that is designed to keep students safe at night, often rejects callers. I know many students that have called and gotten rejected from Safe Rides.

I personally have called at least four times, and have never been picked up by the Safe Rides drivers. I am always told that I am 3 blocks from a bus stop.

However, these never seem to be the bus routes that take me home, and I am left all alone, standing on a dark corner, waiting for a bus. As a female I would feel safer waiting alone for a bus if there were more police patrolling campus.

There are officers that patrol the quad and other high-traffic areas, but I believe it would be more effective if they patrolled the spots where crime is happening instead of writing up jay-walking tickets late at night.

Amy Iversen

Junior in LAS