Recent Assaults In Small College Town

Well school has just begun at Aquinas College in Michigan and there have been several assaults on students. They have been relatively minor so far, but where is it going so early in the new school year?

“On August 22, an Aquinas student was assaulted in neighboring Wilcox Park. She had her purse stolen. She was not injured. The next night, August 23, a student leaving campus following night classes was waiting for a cab near the Robinson Road entrance when an assailant riding a bicycle rode past, grabbing her purse and backpack. She was not injured. The most recent incident occurred Monday (Sept. 12), when an off-campus student walking to campus was assaulted within a few houses of campus. Her assailant pushed her to the ground, fracturing her elbow and making off with her cell phone. In each case, the assailant was described as a black male in his late teens or twenties.”

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Students have posted to their school message boards, asking why isn’t there adequate lighting? One poster it seems, just happened to be walking when he realized that the lighting for the exterior of the college was off! “I was walking across campus the other day and I realized that it was pitch black, for some reason the lights were not on and I think that simple things such as that should always be taken care of to insure our safety.” Yup! It seems that not just on campus drives but for a few blocks in all directions of campus, the outdoor lighting is poor, or non-existent. Also, “I’m glad that this issue is finally being addressed. After reading this post I was rather disappointed to learn that there had been three attacks on campus and at least fifteen others in the surrounding neighborhood yet the Aquinas Community had only been notified of two attacks.” Also, “Aquinas needs a LOT more lighting at night. It needs more than other campuses because it is wooded. I think it is great that it is heavily wooded and it should be left like that, but in response we need a LOT more, high quality lighting.” The old head in the sand approach!

Students have also pointed out: “maybe it should be mentioned that this last attack could have been prevented if Campus Safety would have driven the girl home after her quad like she called and asked them to” oops! And, “What about the campus safety escort thing – whats the story with that?” This question should not have to be asked by a student. The campus escorts should be organized and ready every evening to escort students home if they feel afraid, for whatever reason, of not being able to make it home safely. And people wonder why I advocate pepper sprays and personal alarms so strongly for students (especially the ladies) who move about in “high risk areas”? Don’t wait for someone else to protect you, take positive measures yourself to preserve your health from robbers, muggers, and rapists.

It now appears that Aquinas College has formulated a plan to reduce incidents of crime. It is a good read so check it out! Aquinas College agrees with my earlier “proactive” approach I mentioned: “We need your help to make it work.”