While muggings are not new to the Wesleyan community, a recent incident was particularly alarming because it was the first in recent memory to involve a gun. Although we appreciate that administrators are as alarmed by these attacks as students are, we are interested to know what measures the University will take to reduce violent crime in the future.
Public Safety and Middletown Police Department have consistently responded quickly to emergencies. We believe, however, that a permanently increased patrol presence, particularly near HiRise and LoRise, will help deter violent offenders and make students feel safer.
In the past, The Argus editorial board has criticized what it believes to be inadequacies in the RIDE service. Reliable service and as many drivers as possible will encourage students to wait for the shuttle instead of walking in the dark. In addition (and this, too, we have argued in the past), the RIDE drivers should be more easily accessible. Right now students must wait for some half a dozen rings before being asked to dial an extension. Whether they reach someone depends on whether a driver answers his or her cell phone. Our recommendation is simple: organize a consolidated dispatching service so students know how long they should expect to wait for the RIDE.
More lights would help students feel safer as well, particularly in areas identified in the past, such as William Street and the CFA, which border on the greater Middletown community. In recent years, the administration has created a comprehensive plan to install new lights throughout campus, and this process should continue.
Finally, we hope that students do not feel that Middletown is a highly unsafe place, but rather that they reconsider walking long distances at night. Furthermore, it is not sufficient for students to avoid certain areas, such as William Street, with the expectation that they will be safer. The attackers who recently held a student at gunpoint apparently had Massachusetts license plates, which reminds us that not all attackers are from Middletown, let alone the incorrectly oft-scapegoated Traverse Square.
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