Aside from not being able to find a parking space in time for classes, the lack of parking spaces on campus is dangerous.
The new Campus View Suites II and the Science Engineering and Technology building have made more room for students to live and experience state-of-the-art classrooms but they come at a price.
The influx of new students creates a higher demand for parking spaces on campus. Without these needed parking spaces, students are not able to get to classes on time, and walking home at night raises some concerns.
If you are lucky enough to find a parking space close enough to campus you still have a bit of a walk to make it to where you need to go. Students who live in on-campus housing like myself, are having to park in the Udvar-Hazy parking lot as it’s the only available parking at night.
Having to walk from one side of campus to the other when it’s late at night as a female makes me feel unsafe on campus.
An article written by The University of Michigan stated, “Our safety risks vary based on gender & gender identity, race and ethnicity…”
While there is a phone number to call if you feel unsafe on campus, 435-236-4000, this doesn’t factor in response time and if a student is even able to contact the help line in the midst of something happening.
According to The New York Times, “In about 80 percent of campus crime, students are the perpetrators.”
While there is a risk of community members also causing problems for students walking home late at night, this shouldn’t be a concern for students.
“Nearly half of all women, 45% say they do not feel safe walking alone at night, compared with 27% of men,” said Gallup reporter Andrew Dugan.
With the statistics for women afraid to walk home at night being so high, why is the university not taking steps to help students feel more comfortable?
While there is a new parking lot being constructed, the university still sold parking passes to students without having the spaces to provide for everyone.
The public safety phone number isn’t enough to make me feel safe walking home alone. Other universities have stations in place where you can press a button which will alert on-campus police of your location and is much easier to access than looking up a phone number.
San Diego State University’s campus has “blue light” phones located around its campus, and at the push of a button SDSU police are notified of a student’s location.
DSU needs to have other forms of public safety for students rather than just looking up a number to have a police escort to and from your dorm.
You can also enroll in a self-defense class on-campus to help ease the stress of walking home alone at night.
