Rashes of crimes have occurred over the past two semesters on and near campus at PUC.
These crimes include a shooting that occurred on Sept. 24, where the victim was unharmed but sustained damage to her vehicle; an assault on a male and female student in the first floor of Anderson on April 16; an attempted carjacking Feb. 25 outside of Gyte; and a gun-related incident outside of the Fitness and Recreation Center on Feb. 24.
In addition to the aforementioned crimes, according to the Indiana Sex Offender Registry, there are 150 sex and violent offenders living within a 5 mile radius of the PUC campus. In Indiana, registered sex offenders are those accused of rape, molestation, and sexual assault.
After the April 16 assault, the PUC homepage stated that security would have "a more visible presence inside campus buildings between dusk and building closure time." However, according to some PUC students, this may not be the case.
Many students on campus attend evening classes due to work or family obligations during the day. Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, the PUC parking lots tend to empty out considerably, with only a handful of cars scattered throughout the lot. Safety remains a concern on many students' minds.
Miranda Morley, an English graduate and English 104 instructor at PUC states that in the evening, she doesn't feel safe.
"Every time I'm there after 10 p.m., I do feel particularly unsafe. A couple of times I have asked for someone to walk me to my car. Whenever I'm [at PUC] at an off hour-well after ten, on Friday night, or on a weekend-those crimes on campus keep going through my head," Morley said.
PUC Writing Center tutor Jela Latinovich expressed similar concerns.
"I don't feel particularly safe on campus in the evening. Most of the parking lot is not well-lit, and security is usually not roaming around campus as they should be."
Latinovich also said she didn't feel security was doing a bad job, but said there should be more security walking around campus.
MSNBC reports more than 23 states ban registered sex offenders from living close to schools or areas frequented by juveniles; however, no law states that this protection extends to areas surrounding college campuses.
During an Oct. 23 SGA meeting, safety on campus was discussed. One of the acts the SGA put forward was for increased security and safety measures on campus. The act moved to "increase safety council meetings from once a year to four times a year."
According to CampusView.com, students need to let someone know their class and activity schedule, and include phone numbers to campus buildings since. As CampusView wrote, creating a "buddy system" assures trusted individuals know your whereabouts.
Another suggestion is to never walk alone to your car at night. If possible, walk with classmates to assure safety in numbers.
"I have a class that gets out at 9:30 p.m. on Mondays, and sometimes I noticed the female students walking in groups to the parking garage," Herb Burley, an OLS major, said, "On occasion, I walk a couple of them to their cars."
If in a position where one cannot walk with a group, CampusView suggests keeping two items with at all times: a whistle and a small can of aerosol hairspray or perfume. If placed in a threatening position, the hairspray or perfume can be sprayed into the perpetrator's eyes. The whistle can then be blown while safety is sought.
For those living in dorms, CampusView recommends keeping a roommate informed. The group also suggests keeping a cell phone on at all times since police can track the pings just in case something does occur.
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