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Among the most serious offenses are rape
positive, and assault.
ad to hea Kretzschmar said although these crimes are
will use i rare at A&M, anything is possible.
' it. This i “You still have to take into consideration that
ometime A&M is an open campus,” Kretzschmar said. “Any-
; Interne one can come on or leave.”
iformatioi Reported sexual offenses have, in fact, de
creased. In 1994, 11 offenses were reported, where
as only four were reported in 1995.
Kretzschmar said the best thing students can do
to prevent rape and assault is be careful and aware
K* of their surroundings.
*- “When there’s
nothing to
report, peo-
LLJL\3 pie get re
laxed,” Kret-
allas. Ac- z s c h m a r
Nation oi said. “Don’t
Khalid be lulled into
/ed armed a false sense
;r attacks, of security,
lot return Be alert.
Wednesday. Trust your in-
lews con- stincts.”
nther Par- Valerie
ew Black Evanoff, a ju-
hange its nior business
^s or face analysis ma
jor, said she
as well as does not usual-
ur name," ly walk around
trty stated campus alone
“There is at night,
imbarrass- "If I were by
story and myself at night
:k Panther I might be a
s, former little intimidat-
lers and in id,” Evanoff
> your con- laid. “But I am
ame Black usually with
ailed ‘New other people.”
’ K r e t -
md state zschmar said
the Black although A&M is relative-
stered its lysafe, things do happen.
by on Aug. “The primary focus has to be on the individual,”
porated in he said. “If you’re working late, tell your roommate
)2. where you are and when you’ll be home. Don’t
Panther walk with blinders on.”
3 name in
bout two
'st group,
. is not in- mi . , , „
5 tkg g ec . Ihe residence halls on campus are considered
ce said. sa ^ e as f ar as lighting and phone accessibility.
- George Tompkins, a junior chemical engineer-
'Safety by ID‘
ing major and summer resident advisor in Dorm
12, said he believes the residence halls are a safe
place to live.
“The UPD and security guards do a good job of
constantly patrolling and staying aware of what is
going on around the dorms,” he said.
To ensure campus security, only residents are
provided with room keys and access cards, exte
rior doors are locked 24 hours a day, fire drills
are conducted each semester and police make
monthly reports on lock problems and unsecured
outside doors.
This summer session, all on campus residents
live on Southside.
Amanda Robie, a junior elementary education
major, said having many people living in the dor
mitories on the quad, makes her more secure.
“You can see people moving around all the time
because the quad dorms are more circular [in
alignment],” she said. “I lived in
Clements on Northside
last year
which has
only one
, ’ sf|f dorm next to
mw it.”
Robie said
• she feels safe
on the cam-
pus, but
there are
some
stances of
|I|llg questionable
m security.
“The other
night while I
V was
W rollerblading
W by myself, I
J noticed that
the lighting
was bad,” she
said. “When it
is darker, it
seems some
people might
feel like they
will not get
caught [commit
ting a crime].”
"LIGHT line + blue phones = safety"
Kretzschmar said when he first arrived at A&M
12 years ago there were no standards for lighting
on campus.
Now, however, there is the Security Awareness
Committee (SAC) who oversees the quality of cam
pus lighting.
“SAC meets once a month and has been able to
accomplish getting lighting standards,” Kret
zschmar said. “They’re switching to a better type
ausenfluck, Ann
Id, Erica Roy &
r, James Francis,
?oss Hecox, Ray
id Boldt, Marcus
Chris Leschber,
my Valdez
atrick James &
&M University in
ournalism.
13; Fax: 845-26471
Jorsement by The ;
ill 845-2696. For
15 Reed Me Don-
Fax: 845-2678. 1
■nt to pick up a sin-
40 per school year
erican Express, cal
Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion
day during the ^ ue secur 'ty phone on West Campus is available for students to easily dial ‘911' in case an emergency
he summer ses-' ; if i$es. The 20 new phones on campus brings the total to 41.
A&M Universit]
Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion
Patrick McCarren, a freshman engineering major, uses his student identification card to enter Dunn Hall.
The ID system began in 1994.
of lighting filament — high pressure sodium vapor
— which produces a much better quality light.
A&M has now adopted this filament as part of the
lighting standard.”
These cone-shaped lights have already been put
up around ^he parking garages and
UPD has recently added 20 more blue-light
emergency phones, bringing the total of campus
blue-light phones to 41.
Kretzschmar said SAC has also set up a
“LIGHT line,” where a student can call to report
any lights that are out.
“It streamlines the reporting process,” he said. “A
work order is taken to the physical plant or proper
maintenance area.”
ing to high visibility as well as awareness of
people’s concerns.
"The biggest responsibility lies on
the individual."
In the UPD “Commitment To Your Safety” oper
ation, several methods of student protection have
been made available.
There is Crime Line, where students can hear
recorded crime prevention tips and details of yet-
to-be-solved offenses. There is also a Victim’s As
sistance Program where crime victims can be pro
vided with information and compensation. Crime
"Safety in numbers"
One significant loss in campus security this
summer is the absence of the Corps of Cadets’
nighttime escort service.
The service is available in the fall and spring
semesters for any student who needs someone
to escort him or her to someplace on campus.
Jennifer Jones, a senior animal science major,
said she used the escort service once because the
campus is not. as safe at night.
“I think it is important to have at night, espe
cially on West Campus, where a lot of students
have to park their cars,” Jones said. “It is good to
have for people who live on campus and want to
get their cars at night.”
Kretzschmar said there are other options in the
summertime when the Corps escort service and
Dial-A-Ride are not available.
“We have police and security officers walking
around willing to escort a female to her car,” he said.
Currently, the UPD has 58 security officers who
walk the campus area in the evenings and
throughout the Light, in addition to the 44-state
commissioned peace officers.
UPD has also employed a “Park, Walk, and
Talk” program. If an officer is not busy with a
call, the officer will walk around and talk with
students and faculty on an informal basis, lead-
Stoppers is an anonymous information line where
students can provide information about unsolved
crimes.
Kretzschmar said he and Sgt. Betty LeMay peri
odically offer crime prevention classes to those inter
ested. The classes include such topics as personal
safety, workplace crime prevention, alcohol and the
law and robbery prevention.
Crime, in general, has not significantly de
creased over the past four years at A&M. Re
ported assaults totaled 48 last year compared to
32 in 1992.
George Bernard Shaw, playwright and literary
critic, once said, “If history repeats itself, and the
unexpected always happens, how incapable must
Man be of learning from experience.”
Kretzschmar said the new emergency phones
and lighting are there to help prevent the past
records of campus crime from recurring, but a
reduction in campus crime requires more.
“The biggest responsibility lies on the individ
ual,” he said.
Evanoff said she fortunately has not needed to
use the campus’ emergency facilities.
“I have never used the Corps guard room before,
and I have never had to use the blue phones,” she
said. “But it is good to know that they are there.
And you hope that they are working.
“I do not ever really feel unsafe here but there is
no reason to put yourself at risk unnecessarily,”
she said.
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