Less than a month into 2021 and rumors of kidnappings taking place in Eugene were already circulating. A now deleted TikTok of a white van on Franklin Street with muffled screams in the background went viral, garnering more than 2 million likes and spreading fear throughout the Eugene community.
Weeks later, this rumor has been debunked by Eugene police, but the impact it left still remains. I’ve gotten used to walking my women friends home, even if it is midday. This speaks less to the validity of the rumor, but more the mindset of most students in the Eugene area. The University of Oregon should increase safety measures for students in Eugene through more ride programs and an app that helps students communicate their location to friends and authorities.
Despite a large community of students living within a mile of campus, myself included, it is very common to feel unsafe at UO.
Throughout my four years in Eugene, I have heard of muggings, attacks and even kidnappings. Three close personal friends have been mugged or beaten up while walking in the Eugene area. For a city with a population of around 170,000 people, it’s surprising how frequently these kinds of crimes occur. From 2018 to 2019 there was an increase of almost 1,000 crimes in the city of Eugene. That is why it is even more surprising that UO has next to no safety measures for students who live off campus.
Duck Rides is the main safety precaution provided by UO; it can be effective when students make plans and stick to them. The problem is that in my pre-pandemic experience Duck Ride takes at least 45 minutes to arrive after a call is made. (This year, the average wait time is about 10 minutes.) Many students are also more comfortable just calling an Uber since it is not affiliated with the school. Uber has actually only recently become available in Eugene, making it much easier for students to get around campus while drinking, but it begs the question of why UO hasn’t partnered with them to provide students free rides.
Other universities have already explored this route. The University of Southern California provides its students with free Lyft rides through a partnership. Having the free rides through Lyft rather than the school itself is valuable because it helps students who are afraid of being drunk around University employees.
One of the easiest ways UO could increase student safety is by creating an app like the Claremont Colleges. LiveSafe allows students to send each other their location and notify them when they are walking. With that, one can also quickly contact the campus or regular police with location information.
At the very least, UO should be working harder to inform students about the dangers of walking alone in Eugene. During my time at school here I have received very little information or support from UO about how to handle being attacked or robbed. The University offers self-defense courses as PE classes — including two this month — but some students will go through UO without even knowing about them.
Right now it‘s easy for the school to ignore the safety needs of students since all classes are digital, but when students inevitably return to campus and the Eugene area, the same issues will arise.
Clarifications: This story has been updated to reflect the new organization running Safe Ride and to include details about Safe Ride’s wait time and UO’s self-defense classes.