What do you think about when you hear about the University of Pennsylvania, Duke, the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and Yale? All of these universities carry with them honor, prestige, exclusivity - and the stain of murder. Each of these colleges has witnessed a murder within the past two years. In 2007, Pennsylvania professor Rafael Robb bludgeoned his wife three days before Christmas and was subsequently charged with her murder in early 2007. In 2008, Lawrence Lovette and accomplice James Atwater murdered two students from UNC and Duke. Yale recently experienced the loss of Annie Le, who was suffocated to death by lab technician Raymond Clark, III. Though these may be isolated incidents, this goes to show that universities do experience violence. However, as Benjamin Franklin states, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." There is only so much that universities can do to prevent harm upon their students; the rest is up to students, including taking advantage of the opportunities that are offered to them. The University is by no means free of acts of violence and because the University has offered so much to protect its students, the responsibility rests on the student to take advantage of these opportunities and to guard his personal safety.
What students should pull away from all the e-mails they receive from University police is that there is a threat of danger on campus, and students can choose whether they wish to heighten or lower their risk factors. I have witnessed on Grounds the presence of a homeless population. As someone that comes from a major U.S. city, Philadelphia, it was shocking to see Charlottesville have a significant disproportionate homeless population. According to 2009 findings of the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless, the local homeless population was found to be 232, while Richmond's Homeward estimates in 2009 there are 1,150 homeless men, women and children living in Richmond. Proportionately, the homeless rate in Charlottesville is identical to Richmond, with Census population estimates totaling, respectively, 45,049 and 197,790, or 5.2% and 5.8%. I will never forget my first year, walking at night by myself from the AFC to McCormick dorms; a homeless man suddenly appeared from behind the Alderman/O-hill bus stop to beg me for money. I could not ignore, however, that I had committed a major safety faux pas by walking home alone at night, and I had a part in creating the potentially dangerous situation.
As a woman, the greatest information disservice that society gives to us is the idea of "Stranger danger." The idea is that strangers pose an eminent danger to women, when in actuality, according to the University of California - Los Angeles' rape treatment center "In the 'Rape in America' study, 80 percent of the girls and women who were raped were assaulted by someone they knew. Similarly, in a report in 'Violence Against Women' published by the Department of Justice, 82 percent of the victims were raped by someone they knew. The greatest threat that women have against them is the threat of someone they know wishing to cause them harm. The University commendably offers extensive resources for victims including a women's center located within walking distance of Grounds. In addition to a place for women to go, they also offer great information from groups such as 1 in 4 and SARA.
Once the threat of women being attacked from someone that they know is taken out of the equation, it puts us back in the position of "stranger danger." One can never expect the number of random acts of violence in a city to be zero. If anything, it puts people at a disadvantage once they believe they are safe solely because their town is a "safe town." Even the University temporarily from time to time experiences attacks on its students. The University, however, offers many resources for students to use, such as Safe Ride, the Yellow Cab student charge system, Blue Light systems, and extended bus services during weekends. If a student decides to bypass all of these offerings, is it the fault of the University or the student if something should happen on the walk home? Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the University, offered his thoughts. "The safety and welfare of our students are greatly important to all of us here at the University, and we strive every day to provide a safe living and learning environment ... I encourage students to take personal responsibility for their safety and to be proactive in utilizing every means we have provided to help them do that."
It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that they are safe. The University serves as a learning ground for students to learn how to protect themselves for life after college and for life away from their parents. The University offers extensive safety resources, and students choosing not to take advantage of these resources do so at their own peril. Like the old mantra says "Failure to plan is a plan to fail."
Liz Ford's column appears Tuesdays. She can be reached at l.ford@cavalierdaily.com.
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