In light of the recent stabbings on Marshall Street, it is important that students are made aware of all safety incidents that occur within the vicinity of the Syracuse University campus, not just when they directly affect students.

At this time, student-reported incidents are relayed by the university. However, students must be informed of all instances of crime that occur within the surrounding areas of SU. The university must recognize that campus vicinity comes before student affiliation when it comes to crime and the safety of the SU community.

Four people not affiliated with SU were taken to the hospital after being stabbed in front of Acropolis Pizza House on Sunday. The incident is reminiscent of when a stabbing occurred outside Acropolis Pizza House in 2012. Following that instance, the Department of Public Safety and the Student Association sent out an email to student body essentially telling students to avoid the restaurant.

It would be unfair for the Student Association or the Department of Public Safety to again single out Acropolis as a source of safety concern when the entirety of Marshall Street is an off-campus area that is highly populated by students. The street is near certain university buildings, including the Whitman School of Management and the School of Education.

Instead, the university should be sending out campus-wide emails regarding crimes occurring within the outskirts of the SU campus.

Following a series of violent crimes near university grounds in 2012, joint efforts between DPS and the Syracuse Police Department led to the creation of the University Area Crime-Control Team (UACT) which increased patrols of areas surrounding the SU campus. The initiative proved successful in reducing instances of violent crime and demonstrates that these efforts should remain strongly intact to continue to keep these incidents at a minimum.

In the way that local safety forces are taking appropriate measures to monitor and prevent crimes, students need to do the same when it comes to remaining aware of their surroundings at all times, particularly when travelling at night in off-campus locations.

Maintaining safety is a collaborative effort, but in order to effectively protect students, the university must take proactive measures to ensure students are kept informed of any and all crimes that take place within the surrounding areas of the Syracuse University campus.

Published on September 8, 2015 at 11:43 pm

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