Washington University is making several improvements to ensure the safety of faculty, staff and students living in and visiting off-campus housing. These improvements range from physical changes — such as the addition of peepholes to doors — to informational measures — such as a safety video to ensure those living off-campus are familiar with best safety practices.
“There is no higher priority for the administration than the safety of members of the university community,” said Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration. “Although data indicate that our campuses are located in relatively safe urban areas and there has been a reduction in violent crime over recent years, we need to do all we can to reduce the likelihood of any member of our community becoming a victim of crime.”
Actions under way include:
- Significantly increasing the number of blue-light phones in the areas north of the Danforth Campus.
- Sharing safety information and strategies with non-university affiliated property owners in the North Delmar neighborhood.
- Increased education on how to keep safe while off-campus, including a safety video and placards in buildings.
- Accelerating the process of upgrading the safety features of Quadrangle Housing apartments. This includes moving laundry rooms out of basements where possible, installing panic buttons and improving the safety qualities of laundry facilities that cannot be moved. Other changes include altering basement and first-floor windows to make unwanted entry more difficult, improving exterior doors and adding peepholes.
- Assessing the lighting levels in and around all Quadrangle apartments.
- Increasing the university’s ability to communicate information on serious crime in areas surrounding the university.
Even with these measures, the security of the WUSTL community is a shared responsibility, Webber said, and it requires students, faculty and staff to do their best to avoid unsafe situations. For a list of recommendations from the Washington University Police Department on how to keep safe off-campus, visit aisweb.wustl.edu/IS/WUAnnounce.nsf/01-19-10-SafetyPDF?OpenPage.
“Some of these recommendations may appear to be common sense,” Webber said. “At the same time, each year members of the university community and others fall victim to crimes that might have been prevented by following these simple suggestions. Safety measures need to become second nature.”
WUSTL community members can e-mail hwebber@wustl.edu with more suggestions to improve the safety of the university campus and community.