The pressure to keep students safe is higher than ever for university police and officials after September's rape and murder along the bike path, the massacre at Virginia Tech, a reported sexual assault outside the Sweethome Apartment Complex and the ever- present issue of theft.
The job of protecting over 30,000 people is a daunting task, but are UB officials doing enough to prevent dangerous situations before they occur?
"I don't think our work is ever done," said President John B. Simpson. "I'm confident that we are doing our job the best that we can."
According to Gerald Schoenle, chief of University Uolice, North Campus is one of the safest campuses in America thanks to its location in Amherst, one of America's safest communities.
University Police patrol both campuses 24 hours a day, receiving over 1,000 calls a month, and a working relationship with the Amherst Police Department keeps students in the University Heights and on Sweethome Road safe.
There is no arguing that there are continuing efforts to make UB as safe as possible, but critics say mass e-mails systems and immediate warnings on MyUB may not be enough to prevent potentially fatal situations.
The university has major plans for improving safety in the works, which includes the recent appointment of an outside security consultant.
"We can give you the safest place possible, but it's a tough decision," said Dennis Black, Vice President of Student Affairs, referring to extreme measures like metal detectors and security guards on campus. "Do students really want to be that enclosed?"
The security consultant has been providing officials with information about a campus wide movement for surveillance cameras and added outdoor lighting, especially on South Campus, which is expected to be in place by the end of 2007.
The investigation of new technologies is also in effect to see if it is possible to create a system in which every student's cell phone can be called or sent a text message in the event of an emergency.
They are also considering going "old school" and implementing a loudspeaker system or warning horn throughout both campuses. Emergency notifications can also be broadcasted by on-campus radio station WBFO-FM 88.7.
During freshman orientation, there will also be efforts for increased safety education, violence prevention as the main focus.
The enhanced presence of university police officers on campus, on bikes, on foot and in cars, especially on South Campus is also a priority. More officers are also on duty during the 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift when urgent calls are often the heaviest.
"Having this mobile force of officers allows us to move officers where we need them," Schoenle said. "I've asked my men during these hours to put an extra effort into being aware."
According to Simpson, faculty and staff involvement is also a necessary component to keeping campus safe. Simpson encourages everyone to be proactive in recognizing students who are at risk, or acting suspiciously, and refer them to counseling services or university officials.
"We have looked very closely at our all hazard emergency response plans," Simpson said. "We continually conduct mock training. We are in constant review of all buildings."
The Anti-Rape Task Force (ARTF) has been in effect since 1975, initiated by two female students interested in starting a simple safety walk service. Today, student volunteers and work-study students who act as nightly coordinators run the program, with stations outside Capen Library on North Campus and the Health and Sciences Library on South Campus Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Services are subject to volunteer numbers, however, and may be cancelled if the weather is particularly bad. A walk station is also occasionally set up outside Lockwood Library. Volunteers undergo a rigorous two-hour training about sexual assault and rape.
"Most women are sexually assaulted by someone they know," said Sasha McGarvey, the assistant director for SBI Health Education who is in charge of the ARTF. "We know statistically that there are a lot of rapes on college campuses but we're not seeing people come forward to the police."
According to McGarvey, one woman is raped every two minutes in America, 84 percent of women know their attacker and 57 percent are on a date. Girls ages 16 to 24 are the most at risk.
On South Campus, a safety van service will drive students anywhere within 1.5 miles of campus from 8 a.m. to midnight every night of the week, with pick-ups outside the Health and Sciences Library, Goodyear Hall and the Main Street bus loop.
Specific pick-ups from alternative locations are also provided, as long as students schedule them before 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 829-2584. Additionally, students can request a safety walk from anywhere on campus during the evening hours by calling the walk station cell phone, (348-7258 on North, 348-1608 on South). Last year, a recorded 1,625 walks were made.
According to Pam Stephens-Jackson, the assistant director for Greek Affairs, workshops are continuously held on identity theft, fire safety and robbery throughout the Greek Council.
In the University Heights, the Inter Fraternity Council (IFC), an organization serving on campus social fraternities, is in the process of sending building inspectors to talk to land lords. If they are not meeting safety standards they will be fined, Stephens-Jackson said.
Through the Student Aid Program student safety aids are placed on foot or stationed at entrances in groups of two in the Ellicott Complex on North and in Goodyear and Clement Hall on South from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays, and from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
"They're primarily concerned with people who belong and don't belong, mechanical problems, things being propped open," said Lieutenant David Urbanek, who took over the program in 2000. "They're supposed to report any violations of (the) law."
"We're trying to do things to prevent there being an issue to begin with," he said.
Student safety aids are given two-way radios and are visibly identifiable with heavily labeled patches, polo shirts and jackets. Currently, forty students are employed within the program.
Student safety starts with the students, according to Schoenle. He advises students to use the buddy system, particularly on the bike path, to keep their dorm rooms locked even if they are leaving for a few minutes, and not to drink anything from an open container that students didn't see prepared in front of them. When walking alone at night, he recommends walking with keys in hand pointed outward.
"Always be cognizant of your surroundings," Schoenle said. "We encourage people to report any suspicious activity."
Lindsey Tryczenski, a senior psychology major who commutes from Fredonia, talks on her cell phone and walks as fast as she can to her car when coming out of a night class. When she is in the library, she makes sure to take her valuables with her, and the university police number is in her cell phone directory.
As safe as Tryczenski considers herself, like many other students, she doesn't know where blue light phones are located throughout campus, or what to do in the event of an attack.
"Stay in contact with mom and dad," Black said, so that there is always someone aware of your daily activities.
According to Schoenle, volunteers with the Neighborhood Watch Project began walking stations in two-hour blocks along the bike path last week. Student volunteers were given cell phones while on duty.
"I would say safety and securing the campus is the responsibility of every individual. Don't be passive," Simpson said. "Be vigilant."
Students can also become involved in the new Student Advisory Board aimed at improving communication between students and university police.
With plans for a larger campus under UB2020, safety concerns will only increase. More people and connectivity with the city may mean more problems for university police.
Mohammad Yaqub, a graduate student in computer science and engineering, attended Wayne State University in downtown Detroit, Michigan before moving to Buffalo. He says he generally feels safer at UB, except when he returns to his home on South Campus at night.
"I feel safe. It's a large university, they do what they can," said Arianna Ronci, a junior economics major. "There's going to be things that happen."
It doesn't hurt to be prepared though, say university police. There will always be more that can be done to keep the UB community safe.
"Anything can occur anywhere," Urbanek said. "The more people that are observant, the better."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
