<p>A few weeks ago a Duke student was robbed and attacked with a box cutter while on Central Campus at 10:15 at night. What is the school doing to protect the safety of students on campus? The Chronicle article (and comments) seem to indicate that administration is not taking effective actions to make the students feel safe. Your thoughts? Assault</a> reported on Central - News</p>
<p>Oh man, not again. What worries me is that this attack did not occur off-campus in Durham; this is on campus. And no, I do not feel that the administration is really cracking down on this kind of crime. Hopefully, this can serve as a impetus for increased security on the campus.</p>
<p>On January 18, 2008 a Duke graduate student from Indian, Abhijit Mahato, was murdered in his apartment less than two miles from campus. On March 5, 2008 the University of North Carolina Student Body President, Eve Carson, was also murdered. The same individual, Laurence Lovette age 17, has been charged in both cases.</p>
<p>On the same day that Mahato was murdered an article in the Duke Chronicle began: "I never expected to spend my senior year of college fearing for my life. But at the beginning of my final semester at Duke, that is exactly what has happened."</p>
<p>The</a> Chronicle - Welcome to the neighborhood</p>
<p>I thought after the murder that Duke administrators would finally do something about the ongoing crime on and around its campus. It has not. I am sincerely disappointed in the lack of response for student safety both on and off campus. </p>
<p>Here are some headlines - all from the Duke University police website:
October 2007
Duke student robbed early Friday
Students robbed at gunpoint off-campus early Tuesday
Man charged in connection with robbery of students
Durham police asking for information on robberies - suspects pretended to be law enforcement officers</p>
<p>November 2007
Second arrest made in connection with assault of grad student</p>
<p>December 2007
Robbery reported near Towerview Drive
Duke Employee robbed outside Erwin Road restaurant </p>
<p>January 2008
Duke student robbed near East Campus
Shooting victim identified as Duke Grad student
Two armed robberies occur off campus Sunday night
Robbery reported near Duke hospital
Duke police step up off campus patrols</p>
<p>February 2008
Shots fired near campus; no injuries reported</p>
<p>March 2008
The shared responsibility for campus safety
Second Carson subject charged with Mahato's murder
Taking control of your safety</p>
<p>May 2008
Two robberies occur near campus Wednesday</p>
<p>June 2008
Student reports armed robbery, assault near gardens</p>
<p>Parents, alumni and students need to start writing letters to the Duke President and Board about safety on and off campus. Students have a right to safety. </p>
<p>Duke is an open campus. That needs to change for the safety of its students. The libraries need to require Duke IDs for entrance and Visitor IDs for non Duke visitors. Thefts occur in the libraries on a regular basis. Thefts also occur in the student center and recreational facilities.</p>
<p>Duke needs to stop making it easy for criminals to prey on its students and its employees. And they need to do something now before another murder happens.</p>
<p>I never realized how bad it was this year until I saw it all at once like this. This needs to change.</p>
<p>I don't even think this is a complete list. I feel like some of the emails I got this year from the administration mentioned incidents that aren't listed above.</p>
<p>As a student, it's hard to read all this. I'm going to be frank with you all, as someone who has been on campus and seen the situation get worse over the past year.</p>
<p>I came to Duke my freshman year, and both my freshman and sophomore year I was never really concerned about much at all. East campus feels very isolated, and because of it's layout it's much easier to find a security guard if you need one. When I would go off campus I would definitely feel less safe, but I was usually in a large group (6, 7, 8 people) so it was generally ok. Sophomore year was fine as well. I lived on the Main Quad, did a lot of walking to the Blue Zone, Library, but overall felt fine. There weren't too many incidents to concern me.</p>
<p>This past year, many of my friends moved to Central Campus, giving me reason to head over there, occasionally at night. I will admit that I NEVER feel safe on Central after dark. It is very large and very open to outsiders as it is particularly close to Erwin Road. I was fortunate to not live there, but if I was leaving a friends apartment a lone at night I was always very nervous. I also grew increasingly uncomfortable walking to my car in the Blue Zone as well as the gym past dark (I actually carry pepper spray with me now if I'm coming from my car late at night). I will, however, say that I have NEVER felt unsafe walking around the main quad at night, even if it was walking back from the library late at night. I usually pass at least one security guard and never see any outsiders on the main campus. Moral of the story: There are definitely places to avoid after dark, and that is frustrating. BUT if you're just going about your regular business on campus, use common sense and it's ok.</p>
<p>From a student's perspective here is what frustrates me: </p>
<p>Safe Rides. I actually called them one night to take me to an off campus apartment complex, and was told that there were too many parties there, so they weren't dropping anyone off there that night. Yes, I was going for that reason, but there are certainly students who legitimately live there, and making them walk would be dangerous. They are, however, working on this.</p>
<p>Some of the security guards: Go in the gym or a central campus laundry facility when it's cold outside. Some of them are not keeping us safe, rather keeping themselves warm.</p>
<p>BUT there are certainly steps students should take to help out with their own safety:</p>
<p>Don't walk off campus alone...and be alert! So many people wander around on the phone/with their ipods (particularly on Central Campus) and that makes it SO EASY. Carry a whistle or something! </p>
<p>As mentioned, avoid certain places after dark.</p>
<p>In terms of the theft, don't leave your stuff unattended, or simply ask someone to watch it! If we all just look out for each other thefts can be stopped...if someone random shows up and starts packing up a computer, anyone in their right mind should stop the person! In the gym and whatnot, invest in a lock for your stuff...I think they cost like, $5. </p>
<p>TAKE ADVANTAGE of Duke's safety features. Ask a security guard to walk with you somewhere, use a help phone if something doesn't feel right, CALL THE POLICE. </p>
<p>And #1, just use common sense. </p>
<p>It's frustrating that we're dealing with this on our campus, and some of the crimes such as the terrible deaths of Abhijit and Eve are hard to reconcile. BUT as much as I think this requires a great deal of action on the part of Duke officials, I think students can help play a role as well. These are skills we're going to have to learn as we enter out in the real world, and the big cities like New York and DC. As much as Duke needs to protect us students, we can't build a wall and become a giant Duke bubble either. I think there needs to be sort of a meeting halfway.</p>
<p>I attended Duke in the late 1970s. Many parts of Durham, including lots of neighborhoods bordering both the West and East campuses weren't great then. I'm sure they haven't improved with age and I remember town/gown relations being strained. While the crime on and neighboring the Duke campus is troubling, the murder in Chapel Hill is shocking. I spent a lot of time in Chapel Hill when I was a Duke student and worked in Chapel Hill later on -- I never gave a thought to my personal safety, as Chapel Hill was the quintessential college town.</p>
<p>loveduke22 - great suggestions. I personally emailed many administrative staff members about issues with SafeRides. Once when my D was a freshman on East campus she called them for transport to a meeting off campus at a rental home. She was told the address was not within their service area. I checked the map on their website and they lied. It was within their service boundary. My D told me that SafeRides just didn't want to be bothered doing their job. Again - who are they working for? I never received an adequate response from Duke.</p>
<p>I have also emailed information about an article the FBI used regarding campus safety. It's found on a private blog called "Great Service Matters."</p>
<p>Again, I never received a response from anyone at Duke as to implementation of any changes.</p>
<p>Dr. Raisman of Great Service Matters has ideas for campus safety as well as the "customer service" culture between university employees and students.</p>
<p>Here is what he suggests for petty theft type crimes:</p>
<p>"I also want to add another thought. College campuses attract non-students who may not have learning but illegal earning on their minds too. Thieves know that universities and colleges are easy pickings for them. Students and the college community are notoriously lax and even sloppy about being concerned for their goods and belongings. Students will often drop their backpacks, computers, books etc on a table in the cafeteria or outside the library, athletic facilities, etc. and trust that no one will touch them. Unfortunately, they do not always have a good basis for their trust.</p>
<p>"Since it is so easy for thieves and others to gain entry to buildings, they can also blend in and assume even if they stand out, no one will bother them at most campuses. They have easy access to all the facilities such as those above. A quick tour of the cafeteria or other student areas will present numerous opportunities to steal stuff and walk off. </p>
<p>"Even dorms are wide open to thieves or worse. At most any dorm, all a person needs to do is case out the doors students use to avoid the front entrance. Then they just some up behind a student going in and walk in behind them. They can even just yell out hey hold the door! and most students will do so. Since so many students leave their doors unlocked or even open, their belongings become easy pickings. Jewelry, laptops, money, ipods are easily picked up and stolen. And with one success, comes the recognition of many more.</p>
<p>"The secret is to make these easily stolen items less accessible. If it is difficult to steal things, the dorm be comes a less desirable target for larcenies. If thieves come to the dorm less often, that will also cut down on other possible problems simply by their not being there.</p>
<p>"Okay. How to do this?</p>
<p>"I recommend that schools look at providing students with devices such as lockable safes such as some hotels provide in the rooms. These safes could also be placed in areas that students leave stuff lying around like cafeterias, libraries, bookstores "</p>
<p>If you ever look at the daily police reports from the Duke police Duke employees and vendors also experience theft. I remember reading about a construction trailer and all the laptops and other items stolen earlier this year. Duke employees report wallets, purses, parking passes and cell phones stolen as well as laptops disappearing. Many visitors to the medical center report the same. So, it is in Duke's best interest to have more security - for students as well as its employees and patients at the medical center. </p>
<p>Since Duke began requiring key card access to dorms and key access to bathroom facilities within the dorms I would bet that a comparison of theft rates before and after key card access made a big difference in property theft crimes on campus. However, it's time to take more steps. </p>
<p>Many university and private research libraries have instituted sign in and sign out procedures for visitors including those visiting for research purposes. Libraries have discovered pages containing maps cut out of books, out of print books, etc. for sale at on line auction sites! This security monitoring has had the added benefit of decreasing property theft of patrons.</p>
<p>In 2006 DePauw University libraries installed laptop anchors:</p>
<p>"The DePauw University libraries now offer a convenient way for students, staff and faculty to reduce the risk of laptop theft. Laptop anchors have been installed at various work stations throughout the library which provides a means for tethering your laptop and deterring opportunistic thieves. These devices, which are small, black rings attached to immovable surfaces such as built in furniture, work in conjunction with security cables that can be checked out from the circulation desk or purchased at many major retailers. The security cable simply loops through the anchor and is then attached to a small security slot found on most laptops. Visit the circulation desk at Roy O. West Library to see how these devices work and help prevent your laptop from walking away."</p>
<p>Duke University Libraries issued this warning on March 18, 2008:</p>
<p>Library</a> Hacks Watch Your Laptop</p>
<p>"Yesterday there were two laptop thefts reported in Perkins-Bostock in the course of the morning. The police officer who responded walked around the building and noted that he could have taken three more laptops that he saw unattended. Please do not leave your laptop alone, even if you just plan to run to the Perk or to the stacks for 2 minutes!</p>
<p>"Laptop thefts are a financial blow to students, but they often cause academic harm as well. Many students do not regularly back up their files, so the loss of a laptop can mean the loss of projects and papers you haven’t turned in yet.</p>
<p>"Sometimes it feels like we’ve seen it all at the Reference Desk (there was the squirrel living in a trash can on Perkins 4 one spring), but we never get used to the heartbreak of seeing students who have lost significant work. I’d estimate that laptop theft is the number 2 cause of loss of student work; the number one cause we see is saving to the desktop of a public computer, then getting logged out (which wipes the desktop of all files). Take the time to back up your files, and keep your belongings with you. It’s worth it."</p>
<p>Duke University might want to install laptop anchors.</p>