We are very lucky to live and learn on an incredibly scenic campus here at Syracuse University. Beautiful academic buildings mixed with plenty of greenery gives our campus an idyllic feel that attracted many students to attend SU in the first place. Underneath this veil of comfort, however, lies the unfortunate reality of serious crimes occurring on and around campus. 

SU is a wonderful place to study with a great variety of academic programs. But as of 2019, Syracuse had more than double the New York state rate for both violent and property crime. Since the beginning of the semester, there have been multiple public safety incidents reported to SU’s Department of Public Safety. These types of occurrences are far too common for Syracuse students, especially those who live in off-campus neighborhoods. 

On Aug. 28, three males allegedly stole a vehicle parked behind a house on Ackerman Avenue. Then on Sept. 19, a group of teens allegedly tried to break into apartments on South Campus, and one of the accused teens reportedly fired a gunshot, according to DPS.  

Although, in both reports, no one reported any injuries, SU should be doing more to protect students from this potential risk of harm.

We can all agree that crime is an issue in off-campus neighborhoods, but discussing methods to deal with crime can be difficult. How can resources be expanded in order to create a safer day to day life for all students? 

One possible solution to this issue would be increased law enforcement presence, be it DPS or the Syracuse Police Department, but there are many groups of students, specifically students of color, for which an increase in law enforcement presence would not result in an increased feeling of safety on campus. 

Instead, the already present blue light system should be extended past its current bounds. The off-campus neighborhood which stretches from Euclid Avenue all the way to Westcott Street is somewhat of a de facto part of our campus, as many upperclassmen live in the area.

Other security alert systems, like the Rave Guardian app, are important to ensuring students’ safety, so information surrounding the app and its capabilities should be promoted more through informational notices and on MySlice.

SU has a duty to protect its students, and these incidents demonstrate that the university could be doing a better job of doing so. These occurrences must be addressed, and SU needs to make its campus and the surrounding area safer for students.

Lucas Kaplan is a junior political science major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at lkaplan@syr.edu.

 

Published on September 28, 2021 at 10:38 pm