<p>Don't stray too far off campus...</p>
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Don't stray too far off campus...
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<p>its not like monday was a good day for any school. whether you're in the boonies or in the city, someone will still find a way to kill you.</p>
<p>Holy crap. This mofo is freaking disgusting! I will never understand why ppl would get some from burning and cutting other ppl. I hope that ahole gets life or the chair.</p>
<p>holy phuck.... I'm not going to Columbia ....</p>
<p>My arse I'm not :D</p>
<p>Shat... just read the article... that IS scary....</p>
<p>There are some sick mother phuckers out there....</p>
<p>This is a horrible tragedy. You have to note that while this attack didn't occur anywhere near campus, horrific events can happen anywhere. Unfortunately, we live in a world where random, senseless acts of violence can wreck havoc on innocent people living in the big city or in the rural plains of Virginia. My prayers are with all victims of these atrocious acts!</p>
<p>you mean a crime was committed in nyc???????</p>
<p>huskem, you may think you're being funny, but NYC at this point is probably the safest big city in the world (ok fine, maybe next to tokyo). in 4 years at columbia, i heard of (not witnessed, not was a victim in - just heard about) a grand total of two non-property crimes, one of which was a drive-by mugging at 4am and the other was a beatdown on the street on broadway outside the West End. **** like this is pretty rare even in NYC.</p>
<p>no, i agree with you. i know that columbia is quite safe- i lived in morningside heights for some time. i just didnt like the OP's tone/wording.</p>
<p>oh, i get it now. in that case we agree :)</p>
<p>this is why we need vigilantes</p>
<p>Columbia is an incredibly safe campus, and is in something like the third safest precinct in the city (the first is Central Park, and no one lives there). The school has plenty of safety measures in place - you need an I.D. to get into the dorms as well as the student center and the main library, there is an escort service, phones all over campus which you can use to get directly connected to campus safety, and what we call "Lion's Watch" which is a sort of relationship between the University and surrounding stores/restaurants that allow students who, if feeling threatened, can enter any of these stores and the store will call the police for them. On that note, I'm ending my second year at Columbia and have never needed to use any of these programs (nor do I know anyone who has).<br>
In response to the tragedy, the event is horrific and has greatly affected the community here. As College Grad pointed out, we unfortunately live in a world in which events like these do occur, and each time it is horrifying. In NYC, as in any big city, you need to be smart - walking around at 5 am by yourself isn't the brightest plan.
But in general, events like this one are incredibly rare, and Columbia offers a very safe and comfortable environment for all of its students.</p>
<p>A horrible event. My heart bleeds for this young woman.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, this was not university housing and not in Columbia's immediate neighborhood. Still, it's worth reinforcing: Always make sure the front door of any residential building closes and locks behind you. Never swipe in anyone you don't know to a dorm.</p>
<p>For any parents who are concerned about Columbia housing, I can attest that though my husband and I are not particularly suspicious looking as far as I can tell, we have never been allowed into a Columbia dorm until our son physically appeared at the front desk and signed us in. We visited him once when he had a fever. The security guard still made him come downstairs and vouch for us. </p>
<p>I read that they have this creep on video from an ATM where he used his victim's credit card. I hope they get him fast.</p>
<p>yesterday's events were like a one-two punch for students and parents. thanks Sac for the post. I encountered the same security check on my visits there.<br>
I subscribe to Columbia Spectator on line and saw the breaking news email fairly quickly. In light of the apparent delay in communication at Virginia Tech, although it was awful to hear, I was informed when I checked in with my daughter regarding V Tech and she asked if I heard what happened to the Columbia Grad student. Horrible news. My heart goes out to the student and her family. It's unsettling to be reminded that no one is immune to tragedy.</p>
<p>all of that aside, though, it's pretty badass of the student to brave flames, free herself from ropes, and leave her burning apartment under her own power. at least a 6 out of 10, for sure.</p>
<p>Amen Denzera. Badass indeed.</p>
<p>My d lives in Plimpton right above and next to the Appletree Market. She called me and said this guy had evidently been spotted there (at the market) this morning (there were police all over and the place was cordoned off and so they asked...). He got away, though, evidently realizing that he had been recognized. Hopefully he will a) be caught VERY soon and B) certainly never come anywhere near there again.</p>
<p>All that being said, I whole heartedly agree with what has been said about the safety of the Columbia/Barnard campus and particularly the security in dorms. I would much rather my d be there than here in downtown Atlanta, for example.</p>
<p>i lived in plimpton for 2 years. P-town rocks, but there are always some sketchy guys hanging around the bus station over at appletree. there's also this neighborhood bum, Kevin, who's missing a bunch of teeth and always hanging around on the corner. he's a nice guy though, clearly has had some issues but very friendly. I sure hope it wasn't him.</p>
<p>The lead that said that the suspect was in Appletree turned out to be false.</p>
<p>According to the last link, what should be noted is that the journalism student lived on 141st street, which is 25 blocks from the main campus entrance ( 116th st.).</p>