With a total of 10 campus attacks occurring between February 2001 and March 2002, ranging from attempted rape to attempted armed robbery — student safety has become a major concern.
For the past two years, the ASUO and the Department of Public Safety have been looking for ways to increase awareness about potential threats to students’ safety.
The groups recently decided to display red flags on campus transportation vehicles when an incident has occurred. The participating programs are Designated Driver Shuttle, Project Saferide and Night Ride.
ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said she thinks it is important to have an immediate response to any threatening incident, especially on the weekends, when student publications are not printing.
“I think that safety on campus is a big issue that needs to be addressed,” she said. “The red flag campaign is simply a Band-Aid for a much larger issue, but it is a jumping-off point.”
In the event of an attack, ASUO will also be displaying a red flag in front of its office and in other various locations around campus. In addition, the group will have an electronic reader board, an updated Web site and a phone number for students to call for more information about the incident.
The red flags will stay up for 48 hours after the attack, and Pilliod said the flags will only be used for serious threats.
“We don’t want to be crying ‘wolf’ all the time,” she said. “We want students to take it seriously.”
DPS Associate Director Tom Hicks said an example of a severe situation would be an ongoing threat, where the suspect has not been apprehended. It could be sexual assault, serious aggravated assault or armed burglary in the campus area.
Hicks said in the past, DPS has sent warning e-mails and posted signs in both the EMU and residence halls for incidents that have required immediate notice. He said DPS has plans to continue to do this in response to campus threats, and he hopes the red flag will be another avenue for communication.
Pilliod said they wanted to display the flags on campus transportation vehicles because they cover a wide area, increasing visibility. She said she wanted to emphasize that although the flags will be on these vehicles, people should not be asking drivers about what has happened unless they already have a reservation.
“The purpose of having it on the vehicle is to create awareness that something has happened,” she said. “The drivers have a job to do, so they can’t be answering questions. People should call to find out about it or use the other resources available.”
DPS also has 37 blue-light emergency phones, for students in danger, that can be found in both indoor and outdoor locations around campus. These phones are blue, for night visibility, and are located in places such as University elevators, the Knight Library, Lawrence Hall and the Student Recreation Center. If a student pushes the red button, a dispatcher will answer the call and an officer is sent immediately to the location.
“When it’s a false alarm, the officer will be called off, but it is always important for us to respond as if it’s a real one,” Hicks said.
Hicks said unfortunately, the majority of calls tend to be pranks or misunderstandings.
“There are a lot more false alarms than there are real ones, but if it is used only once for an emergency situation, then that is a justifiable reason for having it,” Hicks said.
University senior Kara Bigelow said she is glad to see organizations on campus taking steps to improve safety.
“If people actually know what the red flags mean, I think it will be more effective than the fliers hung around campus last year by DPS,” Bigelow said. “I think DPS had the right intention, but the signs were hard to see. The flags could be another method for letting people know. It’s a good experiment.”
In addition to the red flags and emergency phones, ASUO has also consolidated the number for DDS, Saferide and Night Ride to make the service more accessible to students needing immediate response. All three services can be reached at 346-RIDE.