The Catholic University of America, a private university off of Michigan Avenue, has a campus feel of just that, private. It is one of the few universities in the district that has a campus separated from the city, with hills of grass and dorms in close corridors. The campus is continuously patrolled by The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and has a handful of “emergency buttons” around the campus to better guarantee the safety of students.
The Catholic University is located in Northeast D.C. about ten minutes from the U.S. Capitol and Union Station. The Northeast quadrant is comprised mainly of residential areas and is regarded as having one of the higher crime rates relative to the rest of the city. Students may feel sheltered on the private campus but in reality they are at risk of exposure to crime due to Catholic’s geographical location. Thus, a student and or parent may beg the question, what is the university doing to ensure the safety of its students both on and off campus?
The Catholic University is set on a relatively smaller campus, which cannot host every student for all four years in dorms. Thus, students commonly move off campus for their junior and senior years, meaning that half of the student population is submerged into the local environment of commonly occurring crimes. These crimes, although “off-campus,” still pose a threat for CUA students.
CUA students in the past have been subjects of crime, having cars stolen or broken into, electronics such as cell-phones and laptops taken, as well as money and other personal property stolen. Regardless of the exact location of a student, whether it be a few steps off of campus such as the Michigan Bridge, or two miles away walking to their home, all students should be guaranteed at least an effort of safety by the university.
Since the beginning of the 2015 fall semester, students have frequently received emails from the DPS regarding local crimes. In the span of one month, students have received five separate crime alerts. All crimes were committed in close proximity to campus, all involved a weapon, and majority of victims were CUA students.
Below is the list of crimes that occurred in September:
- Armed robbery involving a CUA student on 9th and Lawrence Street, NE. The student was held at gunpoint and had to hand over all his personal property. The student endured minor injuries.
- Two women were separately sexual assaulted and threatened with a knife. One after leaving Fort Totten Metro Station and the other at the Brookland-CUA Metro Station.
- A CUA student was walking to class on the bridge located at the 900th block of Michigan Avenue, NE when three male suspects approached him. They displayed a handgun and forced the student to give up his personal belongings.
- A resident of the Cloisters Apartment was approached by a suspect who attempted to steal the victim’s vehicle. After a struggle ensued, the suspect fled leaving the gun when a police car entered the scene.
- &Pizza was robbed after two armed suspects entered the restaurant and forced everyone on the ground.
In response to the high frequency of crimes, CUA student and HerCampus CUA writer: Briana Bee, contacted CUA officials regarding her concerns about the safety of students, asking what measures the university and The Department of Public Safety are taking to ensure the safety of its students. Below is the response Ms. Bee received:
Dear Ms. Bee,
Your concerns were forwarded to me. The Department of Public Safety will continue to maintain a visible presence on campus with the goal to prevent crime. DPS meets with students frequently during the school year to reinforce personal safety tips. The Crime and Information Alerts that you referred to are published to make students aware of crimes in the area. If you would like to meet with a member of our Crime Prevention Team for personal safety tips please contact gregoryk@cua.edu. For your convenience I am providing a link to the DC Metropolitan Police Department safety page, http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/personal-safety
Thomasine N Johnson
Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management
The Catholic University of America
620 Michigan Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20064
Let’s unpack this email, beginning by focusing on the following sentence:
“The Department of Public Safety will continue to maintain a visible presence on campus, with the goal to prevent crime.” The word choice of “continue” insinuates that the DPS is already doing their job and has done it to the fullest extent.
“Visible presence” indicates that DPS officers only offer a presence but no preventative or enforcement action.
“On campus” is problematic and not helpful. As explained earlier, about half, if not more of the student population resides off campus, which means their safety appears to only be a priority when on campus.
Lastly, the mention of the goal of DPS is, “to prevent crime.” Beyond meeting with students “frequently,” how is DPS educating and working with students to build awareness? Is sending out a crime alert email with generic “safety tips” helpful for prevention? Is knowledge of crime the only way DPS can prevent crime from occurring?
The following list was copied directly from a Crime Alert email sent by a CUA Administrator:
Safety Tips:
- Wherever you are – on the street, shopping mall, driving, waiting for a bus or subway – stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings.
- If someone tries to rob you, don’t resist.
- Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid the person or leave.
- If you are approached, take note of the person’s appearance, clothing and anything unusual that will help you identify the suspect.
General Tips:
- Report any suspicious individuals to the Department of Public Safety.
- Program CUA Public Safety into your cell phone for emergencies
Do you feel safer or more informed after reading the administration’s safety tips?
DPS offers a visual representation of what safety enforcement should look like, what the department needs to do now is implement actions that perform preventative measures to better protect students.
For example: After the student who was walking on the Michigan Bridge at 3:20 PM and robbed by suspects that were armed with a handgun, what did DPS do to enhance security measures right outside the perimeter of campus? Nothing beyond their procedural crime alert email.
What does the current state of The Department of Public Safety mean for CUA students: Watch out for yourselves, because safety is apparently only a concern for students when they are on campus. As soon as students leave campus, safety falls into their own hands.
A student should not feel unsafe while attending college. The opportunity for education should not be hindered by fear for safety.
Although we are not masters of safety, and bad things can happen to anyone at any time, here are some of our personal safety tips to avoid crime encounters:
- It does not matter what time of day it is, you should always walk with at least one other person, but preferably in a group.
- Do not wear headphones when walking unless you are on campus and it is broad daylight.
- Call 911 immediately if you feel in danger.
- Carry pepper spray (although illegal in DC, it offers a better alternative to being sexually assaulted.)
- Do not drink and drunk wander.
- Open your eyes. Stop texting and walking.
- Take note of the areas where crime has occurred.
- Don’t flaunt your possessions when walking. For example don’t have your wallet in your hands or be glued to your cell-phone.
- If you’re walking in the direction of a person do not act nervous or fearful, this will make you more of a target.
- Periodically check behind you when walking. If fearful of being followed, cross the street and see if the person follows, if so dial 911(it is better to be safe than sorry).
- If biking or walking try and avoid allies and side roads.
- If approached by a suspect with a weapon do not confront them but rather hand over what they want, although it sucks losing your stuff, it is better to have no worldly possessions than be killed.
- If encountering a crime incident, make sure to look for distinguishing features of the person such as tattoos, scars, piercings, teeth etc. Also take note of the direction they leave in (this allows for the possibility for them to be caught and prevent them from robbing or harming another person).
- Do not venture towards areas you are not familiar with.
- Never become comfortable, once you let your guard down you are more likely to encounter a crime.
- If you are walking or biking to an off-campus area make sure you text a friend, roommate, or anybody before leaving and give an estimate as to how long you will be. This way if you do not arrive or are running late, someone will be able to check in on you. If they are not able to get in contact with you they can contact DPS or the police.
- The GOLDEN Rule: YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE AND ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO BE CAUTIOUS AND PREPARED FOR ANY SITUATION TO UNFOLD!
Overall, we hope this article has pointed out the need for enhanced efforts of the Department of Public Safety. We value our education and love our school, yet the fear of being victims of crime and not having the proper resources to prepare and prevent altercations is a reality that hinders our experience at CUA. We are aware of the current actions and the roles of DPS but are urging the university and the department to do MORE. The flaws of administration and DPS have been made more visible with the increase of crime in the area, and what better time to take action? Students deserve a university that works for them, provides them with all the means to obtain an education, including safety.