Most students don't think twice about leaving their parked cars out in the open. Tiffany Landon learned how unsafe that could be the hard way.
After leaving her car parked on Winspear Avenue in front of her apartment one night, she awoke to find that her side window had been smashed in, and many of her belongings stolen.
"They took a really expensive camera and lenses, tipped my radio out of the dashboard, ripped my alarm wire out, and picked through my CD's too," said Landon, a senior social sciences major.
Many students, like Landon, discouraged by knifepoint robberies, occasional violence and common burglary, move out after the lease is up, but the Heights remains popular at UB for its affordable housing and proximity to campus.
In any city, burglaries and robberies are bound to happen, leaving students to take steps to ensure their safety. Next week's Operation Door Hanger is one response to student safety concerns in the community surrounding South Campus.
The University Heights area has seen its share of crimes. According to a 2004 report from the UB public safety department, there were close to 200 reports of burglary and robbery reported both on and around the campus.
Operation Door Hanger is an annual event that began ten years ago when a student was assaulted in her apartment on South Campus. Volunteers distribute information-laden door hangers to all houses and apartments in the Heights.
The hangers include information on how to respond if you become the victim of a crime, and tips to keep residents safe in general.
Mary Clare Fahey, learning coordinator for community services, said the goal of Operation Door Hanger is to give members of the community valuable safety information and teach them how to respect the neighborhood and their neighbors.
"The purpose is to remind people that everyone is responsible for keeping our neighborhood safe and clean," she said. "The door hanger talks about living safe and securely."
Attached to each door hanger is a card produced by the UB prevention team with emergency phone numbers for police, medical support, quality of life issues, as well as campus ministries.
The door hangers also include basic safety knowledge pamphlets reminding students to avoid using attics or basements as bedrooms, to keep working smoke detectors in their apartments and to never walk alone. They also recommend forming relationships with neighbors or joining a block club.
"We've printed 3,000 of these and we will put one on every door knob," said Fahey. "They're directed at our students but will also be delivered to individuals and families who are living in the Heights."
Fahey stressed the importance of students remembering that not all University Heights residents are students.
"It is so important to be a good neighbor," she said. "We want to help keep our neighbors safe but we also want to have them know what we're telling our students."
In many ways it is the responsibility of those living in the area to create and maintain a safe community.
"I have some friends who live on South Campus and really like it, but I personally don't like the environment," said Angela Cole, a senior chemistry major. "I think that Operation Door Hanger is a good way to inform students about how to control their safety when living off campus, but it's up to them whether or not they use the information."
For those interested in volunteering, Operation Door Hanger is this coming Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gloria J. Parks Community Center. Both groups and individuals are encouraged to help, and will be provided with free refreshments after the event.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
