Feeling Secure

University of Arizona students can feel safe while on campus because of an increase in security measures being taken by the University of Arizona Police Department.

Harry Hueston, the police chief, said the department takes precautions such as walking patrols and other such campus patrols to ensure safety for students.

Hueston said a study was recently conducted by a committee on the status of women identifying campus locations where women said they did not feel safe walking in or parking near at night. He said since the study was conducted and the results were released, UAPD has begun to pay more attention to those areas while on patrol.

One such location, Hueston said, was the Olive Street underpass due to its poor lighting conditions. He said the committee found all the campus parking structures unsafe.

Hueston said blue-light emergency phones are located in various spots across campus as an added security measure. The phones connect a caller to the police department in case of an emergency.

The university residence halls also take precautions to help increase the safety of residents and the student population.

Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life, said each year when residents move into a hall they attend a mandatory meeting during which safety within the hall is discussed.

The hall staffs also take precautions to ensure safety for their residents, Van Arsdel said. All residence hall doors except the front are locked 24-hours a day. The entrances remain unlocked during normal front desk hours.

Van Arsdel said despite the efforts of his department, there is still a certain amount of responsibility left in the hands of the residents themselves.

"The university cannot have a police officer in every corner," he said. "We have to lay some of the responsibility on the students."

Van Arsdel said security in the halls is not perfect, but he feels they are a safe location for students.

He said there was also a policy requiring all non-residents to be escorted by a resident while in the hall.

Van Arsdel warned students not to compare events that have recently taken place at ASU in Tempe with incidents here. He said the two campuses should not be compared because they are both located in the same state and made mention of the larger size of ASU.

Van Arsdel said his department has not taken any further precautions since the intruder rape and beating of a 17-year-old residence hall resident at ASU.

"Putting it in relative context, the residence halls are as safe as the students make them," Van Arsdel said. "Generally they are pretty safe."

For students on campus at night from Sunday to Thursday the Associated Students of the University of Arizona provide a free ride service from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Brian Melvin, psychology senior and director of the Escort Service, said members of the service will pick up an individual and provide them with a ride anywhere on campus.

This service also includes service to East Sixth Avenue to the west, North Tucson Boulevard to the east, North Waverly Street to the north and East Tenth Street to the south.

If a student is in need of a ride during the service's business hours they simply need to call 621-SAFE and will be picked up and taken to their desired location, Melvin said.

Melvin said a caller can expect a wait of about six to seven minutes for the ride, though the service wants to get the response time down to five minutes.

The service receives about 100 calls a night.

"We are trying to ensure that people don't have to wait," he said.

Melvin said the Escort Service is only run Sunday through Thursday because they do not have the resources to "be a designated driver" for weekend party-goers.

A wide variety of students use the service for rides between residence halls and the library as well as other on and off campus locations.

"Most calls are from people who just don't want to walk alone," Melvin said. "Women who don't want to walk by themselves at night or groups of women that don't want to walk at night call also," Melvin said.

Hueston suggested people take precautions when on campus at night and plan their routes to ensure they will be as safe as possible.

"There are good safe practices to take on campus," Hueston said. "Take well light areas (when walking at night)."

Hueston said people should walk in groups and be aware of their surroundings when walking the campus at night.

Hueston said that compared to other cities and college campuses of similar size, the UA is a safe campus.

"I've been on other campuses that turn into war zones at night," Hueston said. "We are doing well and it is a group effort that goes beyond the police."