Clear and present safety

While it might not prioritize dining services or adequate housing for students, the Administration should at least put student safety at the top of its checklist. Instead, the Administration is considering downgrading the Public Safety Escort service.

Recent incidents of sexual assault and on-campus theft should point to a clear and present need for an increase in after-dark escort services. The Escort has reportedly been swamped with a large number of calls and appears in need of further manpower and supplies. Yet, when the WSA proposed adding a more comprehensive shuttle service, the Administration countered with a proposed reduction in Escort services.

This is not a difficult concept: removing shuttles because they are used too much is like getting rid of the salad bar because the lettuce keeps disappearing.

The situation right now is in serious need of remedy. Students are often discouraged from taking the Escort service because it can be unreliable or take 20 to 30 minutes to arrive. Due to space constraints—or simple belligerence—groups greater than three people are not allowed to ride. The Administration should realize that larger groups are not necessarily safer on campus, especially at night in dimly lit areas like Foss Hill or College Row. Furthermore, Wesleyan is an open campus and to get to different locations, students often have to walk through areas of Middletown. If Wesleyan has failed to invest money in lighting the campus properly, the least they should do is make sure their students arrive safely.

The Administration must put more money and more vans into the Escort service—not less. Wesleyan should also look into extending Escort to locations in Middletown as well. While the University publicly encourages student-town interactions, it should also ensure student safety as they go to movies, restaurants, off-campus houses, and especially the bars. While there hasn’t been a serious drunk-driving accident yet, the University’s unwillingness to wake up to the reality that its students drink presents a precarious situation. Making it possible for more students to use the Escort will make everyone involved safer.