Student Council met Tuesday to discuss student security and two newly-formed organizations aimed at increasing safety, Buddies on Call and Student Watch.
Representative Body Chair Abraham Axler, a second-year College student, said these two organizations will operate under a Student Council committee which oversees safety programs, and that Council will be involved in appointing chairs and leaders to the new programs.
First-year College student Jack Capra, co-chair of Buddies on Call, said the organization has made significant progress in the past month, setting up an executive board and designating a specific area of operation to run between Gooch-Dillard dorms, 14th Street and Grady Avenue.
“The main purpose of the club is to walk people home,” Capra said. “[It’s] sort of a complement to Student Watch.”
Capra said mandatory training — a process Buddies on Call is hoping will incorporate some form of diversity training and self-defense — has yet to occur.
“Training will include bystander intervention training, alcohol and drug abuse prevention training, a University Police department neighborhood tour, looking into diversity training and self defense,” Capra said.
Second-year College student J.C. Gamble, head operator for Buddies on Call, said the organization will stress to both members and students using their service they are not professionals. Gamble said they will tell users to call 911 if there is a real emergency.
Council members asked Capra what he would change from SafeWalk — a similar, ultimately unsuccessful initiative by Council started in 2012 . Capra said because SafeWalk helpers were paid for their participation, they may not have been motivated by a genuine concern for student safety.
Capra said he hopes that for Buddies on Call, this will not be the case. He also said he felt SafeWalk did not have adequate resources or proper promotion.
“SafeWalk did not advertise themselves very well or have the resources they needed to perform,” Capra said. “[SafeWalk] only ran two walkers and an operator per night.”
Capra also plans to have members who are on call for a given night advertise on social media during their shift as a means of promoting the program.
Student Watch, meanwhile, will run from University Avenue to Grady Avenue and from Rugby Road to 10th Street, said second-year College student Ben Cosgro, president of the organization.
Student Watch members will walk around this designated area in groups of three and respond to students in need of assistance. Groups will consist of two male students and one female student. The group aims to ensure students are safe even if they do not ask for help directly.
“The problem that we often see is that people say they’re fine [or] sober enough,” Cosgro said.
He said Student Watch representatives will go through training with University Police on how to address situations which may arise.
“On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, when we’ll be out there, Charlottesville Police Department has [officers] assigned to patrol there,” Cosgro said. “We’ll be out there as extra eyes and ears.”
Cosgro said gender was a determining factor in deciding the makeup of the walking groups.
“Two girls and one guy are more likely to be attacked than two guys and one girl,” Cosgro said.
Batten Representative Alex Gregorio, a third-year, raised concerns that the program would put more students in danger and suggested alternatives, such as increasing the student activities fee to fund an additional SafeRide van.
“One solution is to contact the University Police Department and see why don’t they send out more patrol cars,” Gregorio said. “If it’s a staffing issue, then they need to hire more people.”
Gregorio said he was not only skeptical of the design of these two organizations, but also of whether they should fall under Council’s jurisdiction.
“There are other options that we can pursue,” Gregorio said. “Why does this need to be a part of Student Council?”
Axler said this was a way for Council to affirm the body values student safety, and that running these programs independently would impose too much liability on the leaders of these groups.
“If it’s a CIO, Jack [Capra] is going to go to jail,” Axler said. “It’s too much liability for students to assume.”
Axler said the proposed setup establishes Council as an intermediary between the programs and the University, with the University assuming the liability.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Student Watch volunteers would coordinate with Charlottesville Police. They will go through training, but that training will be conducted by University Police.
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