Safety

<p>Attended Experience Temple Day on Sunday and while the surrounding areas are pretty terrible, I came away with a reasonably good feeling about student safety and my student is now seriously considering Temple, even though I still have reservations. However, last night I came across a news story from the local NBC affiliate that 3 students were attacked on Friday in two separate incidents within a few minutes by a large group of kids. One female student was hit in the face with a brick and required emergency surgery. What I don't know is how far off campus this occurred, what time of day it was, etc. What I find a little troubling is that during the parent session I attended, it was stated that no one knew of any recent incidents involving students and this attack had only happened two days prior. This makes me wonder how safe it really is or isn't and how forthcoming the University is about the reality. Any thoughts? I am a New Yorker, by the way, so urban environments don't generally worry me, but this one does. Thanks.</p>

<p>it is not safe and much of what is happening is not something the university or the media want to acknowledge.
<a href=“Footage of girls who hit Temple University student with brick | Daily Mail Online”>Footage of girls who hit Temple University student with brick | Daily Mail Online;

<p>Wow!</p>

<p>Hey guys, I’m a Temple student currently. Registered to answer questions around here. I would like to say that Temple is a great school & a great campus surrounded by poor areas. Sorry this is going to be long, just trying to give you insight to make the best decision for you. Let me lay it all out here.</p>

<p>I don’t know when Temple was notified, but it is my strong opinion that Temple tried to keep it quiet because of the Accepted Day. What could be worse for enrollment than confirming all the parent’s worst fears when they come to check out the school? (I got a 3am TU alert last month about a student hit by a stray bullet on a Saturday night, that was off-campus too.) Rest assured though, the media attention & uproar by the Temple community concerned about student safety (a petition has 2,000+ signatures) has prompted University change to expand the Temple Police Patrol boundaries farther west off-campus to better protect the student population. I think the school will definitely be increasing safety measures very quickly. As it is, the TU alert system is pretty prompt about events on-campus and directly impacting campus. Crime does happen everywhere, but Temple officials KNOW this looks bad and don’t want a bad reputation impacting the university’s rising status.</p>

<p>The attack in question (all 3 encounters actually, as far as I know- also by the same group of minors who have been found & arrested) happened to people walking home around 6pm Friday in the 16th street gray-zone between where campus police and Philly police patrol. (It’s my opinion, criminals who target students would know this is the boundary and that’s why the crime is happening here- take advantage of their best targets at their least protected spot). For students (usually upperclassmen) who live west off-campus past Broad (14th street), 16th street may be a normal part of their walk home. For students (such as freshmen) living on campus, there’s no academic reason to travel in this direction. (Reality though: This is Temple student weekend territory. Patrolled or not. Frat parties & house parties are 90% on the west side off-campus. Many, many, many students assume the risks of the “questionable” area. You don’t hear about all of the cases where people go out, get drunk, and find their way home unharmed between 1-4am.) One or two blocks makes all the difference between safe and “questionable”.</p>

<p>The gentrification of the surrounding areas as campus & student population expands/intrudes upon the “local” neighborhoods IS a cause of tension and Temple students CAN be targets of crime. Again, it’s a block-by-block situation. Generally 10th to 16th between Cecil to the South and Diamond to the north is “safe”. The outer boundaries or the questionable/unpatroled area is pretty much 9th to 19th, Jefferson to the South, Susquehanna to the north, Dauphin if you HAVE to. </p>

<p>I have never felt unsafe walking from anywhere ON campus to my apt (east-off campus, 10th st.) at night. And I pull A LOT of late nights. At night, campus walkways and buildings are lit up by floodlights like it’s the middle of the afternoon. There’s a pretty big campus police presence. I have been a bit weary, hit on, or asked for money walking from West-off campus (Willington/17th) home to 10th but nothing has ever come of it. Once I hit Broad Street, I basically KNOW I’m safe. I also detour a block or two out of my way to walk home through campus at night on the weekends instead of along the border, just in case. Rule 1- Don’t walk home alone at night. If you must, be on the phone so someone knows your whereabouts. It’s college, one mass text or tweet: friends, roommates, friends at other colleges, siblings/parents- someone will always be awake or happy to talk to you at 2am to make sure you’re safe. Temple students you pass by will call out to “Be/Stay safe.” Also: Temple Guy Friends I’ve met (I might just know good people) will also go out of their way to walk girls home or at least to campus, or wait with a girl in the ghetto at at a ridiculous hour for a friend to meet her, because they know girls are more susceptible to “local interactions”. Better safe than sorry. No student wants other students to get hurt. </p>

<p>All this said, I think a lot of the crime around the area doesn’t involve Temple students. It’s a poor area, there’s drugs, guns, prostitution I bet, and who knows what else going on in the streets. This crime over illegal activity happens with no regard for Temple being there. In fact, when I hear about non-Temple crime close to Temple: I assume it’s an outsider because any druglords (I assume there’s 1 or 2, idk.) have to be smarter than shooting up the streets around campus when they know there’s students, and it will increase police activity, and make things harder for themselves.</p>

<p>In my mind, Temple is only getting safer with each passing day.</p>

<p><a href=“Petition · Expand Temple University's Patrol Area / Jurisdiction · Change.org”>Petition · Expand Temple University's Patrol Area / Jurisdiction · Change.org;

<p>There’s a link to the petition I referenced, if you’d like to read more student/parent comments about the campus patrol boundary issue.</p>

<p>Templettransfer-thx. That was one of most helpful posts I’ve seen on temple. </p>

<p>Yes, thanks Templetransfer. I appreciate your honesty. </p>

<p>Dear Parents,</p>

<p>I’m another student at Temple University and I have to completely agree that I completely agree with Temple Transfer. We have to understand that Temple University is an economically under served area. However, that does not mean that TU students should look down on community members. The crime most likely occurs for illegal activity, but the Campus is really late. I have stayed on campus pretty late even until 1 am (back in September) and I have never felt scared. I believe that the West edge of campus and Northern edge of campus especially the area after Susquehana should be avoided for safety concerns. TU attempted to cover up the Friday incidents in my opinion to protect their image for experience Temple University. You are probably asking what did the students do?
Many students especially student organization leaders came together in a protest which I admire and support. In an information session, the leaders asked such intelligent questions that the safety spokesperson had to start saying no comment because she knew she was guilty. Students began taking pictures and videos of safety officers chatting on their cell phones or eating lunch on their duty. I personally was shocked starting Tuesday on the significant increase in security. Never had a been asked for my Temple ID in the College of Science & Technology buildings before. This always concerned me since as a science major I know the dangerous chemicals present in a college research lab. Starting last week, Temple instituted four extra security guards per building. Am I trying to defend temple? No. I feel bad for the students that were impacted and I actually met two of the students that were attacked. However, I think this motivated students, faculty, and staff to force TU to significantly improve their police and security forces. I also want to bring in a recent experience. Last week, I was walking back from the gym (IBC) around 9pm and I felt uncomfortable because I had a feeling someone was following me. (it was a little paranoia). Out of nowhere, a Temple University police officer pops up and begins to chat with me. I later found out that he struck a quick conversation with me to show the individual that I kept looking back at it that I wasn’t alone that police were watching even though nothing happened. </p>

<p>Thanks, FutureDoc. I have to tell you that as a parent, this really has me torn. D liked the campus, we were impressed by the B school presentation, EVERY student we met seemed happy and to genuinely love the school. HOWEVER, I would have a much better opinion of the administration and the safety/security folks had they come clean about the attacks that had occurred just two days prior. I will not go so far as to say anyone lied, but I have a hard time believing the dean of students, who was present at the parent presentation I attended, didn’t know about the attack and just stood there when parents on the panel said they’d never heard of any incidents involving students when a parent specifically asked that question. Did she not think any of us would see it in the media, if we hadn’t already? It just looks bad. Look, I’m not naive, that kind of thing can happen ANYWHERE at anytime, and of course in an urban environment, you have to be careful and keep your wits about you–that goes without saying. But it’s my impression that these attacks took place in daylight (around 6 PM, no?) and it doesn’t sound like the students were in an area that should have been avoided. Temple is still in D’s top 3, but in my mind, it’s a distant #3 because of the way this was handled. </p>

<p>FutureDoc, Glad to meet you (sort of)! I see you’re one of the go-to Temple guys! </p>

<p>A summary of what I’ve seen to keep prospective parents updated:
-ID’s are now being checked in more buildings (particularly Barton and Beury)
-There’s more security presence, not just numbers wise but more adamant/active/strict too about checking ID.
-The upper-level doors of Gladfelter Hall (very big, popular building with many gen ed/liberal arts classes and bigger lecture halls) are sealed off from entering/exiting to the balcony area. Balcony still reachable by outdoor staircases. This is possibly permanent, according to security. Though, I hope it’s just b/c of the construction next door.
-There are polls among the student body (Temple News, in particular) about expanding the area we get TU Alerts for. Majority student vote seems to agree with expanding. (Though I doubt the University likes the idea of how it’ll look that they’ll be sending more alerts out)
-Student Government elections are coming up next week and Safety is a big platform issue for at least one of the parties.
-I’ve seen more shuttles/Owl loop buses during the day/evening passing my apartment building (University Village) than I remember before (though I may just be more aware of them running now!) Also, I believe the app did not work well last year but works better this year, according to my roommate. I never take the bus so I really have no idea how it/the app works.
-I also definitely saw more bike cops on the walk home on the weekend, off & ON campus. I was surprised by the increase on campus since it feels so safe all the time already, but not complaining.
-I was on-campus in the Tech Center from roughly 11 pm until about 5:30am (yeah… I know) yesterday, Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Even at that hour of inactivity, I was happily surprised to see 2 cops in the immediate vicinity of the Tech upon leaving to walk home, instead of (the usual) 1 cop by the doors, and a 3rd cop was outside the police station I walk by to get home right around the corner. (It might’ve just been happy coincidence 1 was walking their beat route at the same time I was leaving.)</p>

<p>Did the school handle the attack correctly? No. I don’t think they did. Will they in the future? As a student, It seems positive steps/more preventative measures are being taken to handle future problems in a better manner. </p>

<p>BONUS EXPERIENCE:
-My 21st birthday was last weekend so I was West of campus Friday night- near where the attack was actually. Once again, a group of male Temple students who lived at the house I was at asked/offered to have someone walk with us back to wherever our group of 3 needed to go at the end of the night. These were not our regular guy friends & only my best friend knew 1 of them from a class before that night. No hooking up was involved for any of us, so they were actually just being cool about wanting people they’d met to get home safe. I ended up walking back to UV with their Temple football player friend that lives at UV too, (& I’ve never felt safer) but first, he happily walked someone ELSE home to HER off-campus house. I’m only including this point because I really want parents to know that it’s been my experience repeatedly, almost overwhelmingly, that the general student body will go out of their way (sometimes FAR out of their way) to take care of other students. I definitely wasn’t expecting it when I came to Temple since it’s a diverse city school. I figured people only looked out for themselves, so it’s something that I’m becoming pretty proud of. Out of high school, Temple was not my #1 either. I wasn’t even considering it. I’m happy my major changed and brought me here.</p>

<p>I have to agree with Templetransfer. I personally have joined a few of my female friends and walked them back to their places. Its a common concept for the male student body at TU to make sure the females are safe. I’m not saying that females can’t handle themselves. I also think that these incidents have motivated the student body to an extent that they are not backing down from going after the board on safety related topics.</p>

<p>Also another personal incident that prospective parents should be aware of especially parents of potential commuters. Thursday night, I was walking back to the train station to catch the final train home until 430am at 12:30 am. I was actually really nervous about getting to train station since you have to cross by a rough neighborhood and I was angry at myself for staying at the tech so late to get work done. After leaving the little underpass between Gladfelter and Anderson halls, I saw something I was so happy about. I saw three bike officers, located in positions that if anything happened along the two block walk they would get to me really fast. I also saw three patrol cars which has become a regular since the incidents which is much more protective than the typical 1. </p>

<p>Another situation:
Not sure if I mentioned this, but my friend parked near 17th street(site of the incidents) and he had to get to his car at 8:30 pm. He may have been a strong 6"2, 250 pounder but he called the special number for the Temple escort service. He told me the next day that he was shocked at the convenience of the walking escort service and was happy that Temple was increasing the officers for this service.</p>