crime puts off-campus students in danger
When Henry Knez decided to live off-campus, he never thought that his home would be robbed and his perception of campus safety be changed forever.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students are faced with the option of residing on- or off-campus, which can result in potential personal safety concerns. Off-campus students are exposed to greater risks when crime occurs, more so than on-campus residents, because of the lack of WiscAlerts.
With an undergraduate population of 30,306 along with 8,962 graduate students, UW-Madison and the Madison community, as a whole, is considered home to many students. There are 19 residence halls, including ten learning communities that are available for student housing.
However, 75% of students live off-campus, leaving only 25% of students to live on-campus, according to the UW-Madison 2018 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
Henry Knez is one of many off-campus residents. Living on West Gorham Street in a home that was robbed early one morning in October, he has developed new fears for his own safety. Along with his six other roommates, Knez believes that he is exposed to many safety threats because he lives off-campus.
“I didn’t feel like I was ever in danger until I got robbed. And then, I felt like I should be careful when I walk around, and to lookout for my friends and girlfriend,” Knez said.
This fear began when his home was robbed early one morning. As he was sleeping on the third floor of his home, he was awoken by floor-mate Tommy Heinz. Heinz, another sophomore at UW-Madison, was waking up for his 8 a.m. class, when he had realized their home had been robbed.
Knez and his roommates immediately called the police to report this incident. It wasn’t until 20 minutes after the phone call that the police had arrived, because it was not considered an emergency.
Hours later, Knez searched the Internet and found the incident was never posted on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department or Madison Police Incident Reports. Incident Reports serve as a notification center for updated information on nearby crime and issues. Not only were there no Incident Reports posted, but there was also no WiscAlert sent by the UWPD.
WiscAlerts should expand to off-campus issues, to alert students on nearby incidents, Knez said. There is a conception that off-campus police are focused only on off-campus issues. As people also tend to believe that the UW-Madison police only concentrate on on-campus issues. This idea has caused Knez, and other off-campus students, to worry about their safety.
However, according to Marc Lovicott, Director of Communications for the UWPD, the UWPD and Madison Police Department have a strong relationship and are constantly collaborating. Though he does acknowledge that there are times where a disconnect will be present.
Students like Knez are apprehensive about the disconnect between off- and on-campus issues. Another off-campus resident and student, Danielle Vandenherik, found many issues with WiscAlerts after the home across the street from hers had an armed robbery.
“It makes me scared that something like this happened so close to me, and the fact that the school never sent out an alert when it was five minutes off of campus and involves students here is beyond me,” Vandenherik said, which can be heard through my audio story.
However, this could eventually change, according to Knez. There needs to be less of distinction between on-and off-campus because so many students live off-campus.
“WiscAlerts are very effective. They are required by the law, but are really great tools to reach our community when an emergency situation happens. We have to be careful to not report incidents that may not qualify as an emergency, because we don’t want students to become desensitized to them,” Lovicott said.
Measures have been taken to mend this problem. The UWPD has worked to expand the WiscAlert proximity. In a survey distributed to the UW-Madison community, students revealed concerns regarding emergency situations near campus but not exactly in the WiscAlert vicinity, according to Lovicott.
They are always working to strengthen their relationship with the Madison Police Department. Last fall the UWPD launched off-campus alerts to improve and increase the number of messages released to students.
There are also individualized measures that can be taken in order to improve campus safety, according to Lovicott. The UWPD has raised awareness about personal safety and has provided students with resources to feel safer. Lovicott recommends that people walk in groups and stay in well-lit areas. In addition, he recommends to not wear both headphones while walking around campus, which will enable one ear to always be open. Don’t be buried in your cell phone while walking around, Lovicott also said.
“To be honest I think that campus is a safe place. Some people question the safety at times, and that is understandable,” Lovicott said.
Students remain fearful of the potential danger they are exposed to because of their off-campus residency. However, the UWPD and Madison Police Department remain motivated to keep the UW-Madison on-and off-campus proximity as safe as possible.
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