Student safety still an issue
The issue of campus safety has garnered attention this semester. The attempted robbery of a wheelchair-bound student outside Morris Library in August and an arrest in the 23-year-old murder case of Susan Schumake, who was raped and killed on the SIUC campus, have brought back memories of the threats that sometimes lurk in the darkness.
Student safety should be a number one priority of the University. And while a lot has changed since 1981, when Shumake, an SIUC student, was raped and murdered as she traveled the "Ho Minh Trail" between the train tracks and U.S. Highway 51, more is definitely needed.
The once wooded area where Shumake traveled is now home to a well lit pedestrian foot bridge to provide a safer route from the West side of campus near McAndrew Stadium and the Engineering Building to the East side of campus by University Park. The bridge was constructed in memory of Shumake. There is also a second footbridge leading from Anthony Hall and the Old Main area to Brush Towers.
These footbridges are much needed and well utilized by students traveling from their dorms to class during the day and from the library, Student Center, football games and study groups at night. They allow students to travel more safely, alone or in groups, and be well seen.
Other measures the University has taken to enhance student safety include the blue light emergency call boxes and the Brightway Path. There are currently a total of 15 blue light boxes located in parking lots and other areas across campus.
When the buttons on these boxes are pushed, an emergency 911 call is dispatched into the SIU Police Department and the light on the top of the box flashes bright enough to be seen across campus. An officer is immediately dispatched to the location.
However, the number of blue light emergency call boxes on this campus pales in comparison to other campuses. Western Illinois University has 48 emergency call boxes, almost four times as many as SIU. Eastern Illinois University has 19.
When you take the size of these campuses and their student enrollments into consideration and compare them to SIUC, these are considerably smaller schools in both size and students. Yet their measures of protection and crime prevention extend beyond that of our own.
The Brightway Path is a lighted and well-defined pedestrian path for students walking through campus at night. This path encompasses the entire campus, extending from Greek Row to Brush Towers and University Park.
Because the heart of the University is built on the Shawnee Forrest Preserve, which provides plenty of places for predators to hide, the Brightway Path is especially important to student safety. Yellow signs distinguish trails that are a part of this path from those that are not. Students are always encouraged to use this path when walking through campus after dark.
While it is obvious that the University has increased its crime prevention measures since 1981, there is definitely room for improvement. Students are the greatest assets this University has. We are pleased to hear the University recognizes this and is in the process of installing four additional emergency call boxes at each end of the pedestrian bridges.
Safety is still a serious matter on this campus.
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