Thursday, October 8, 1998
Groups fear for student safety with high influx of freshmen
OVERCROWDING: Police say UCLA is one of safest places in
Westwood
By Karla Pleitez
Daily Bruin Contributor
The largest class admitted in four years – 10,700 students – may
make the campus less safe for both staff and faculty, according to
representatives from the Women’s Resource Center (WRC).
WRC officials worry that the lack of parking spaces and housing
on campus could lead to dangerous conditions for UCLA students.
Many students can’t afford parking or must park in parking
structures that are far from campus, said Loretta Amaro, interim
director for the Women’s Resource Center.
"A lack of parking is putting students in danger because many of
them are new students who are not familiar with Westwood," she
said.
"This is a volatile situation because in order to secure one’s
safety, one must be aware of their environment," she said.
The WRC recommends that students familiarize themselves with the
city during the day, so they won’t be lost in Westwood at night and
render themselves vulnerable to robberies or sexual harassment.
The WRC also suggests that all students call Community Service
Officers (CSO) at night to be escorted to their cars.
The CSO program has 110 student workers who assist with campus
safety by acting as nighttime escorts, patrolling UCLA grounds and
driving evening vans.
"UCLA definitely has the potential for becoming a dangerous
campus, but if students take common sense precautions and use such
programs as the CSOs, they should be safe," said Scott Schafer,
field operations coordinator for the CSO program.
But statistics have shown that many students do not take
advantage of these programs.
Last year only 1,600 UCLA students and staff used the CSO night
escort service.
"I don’t use night escorts because it’s strange to call up some
office and ask someone to baby-sit you," said Mark Brettman, a
second-year psychology major.
Some of the students who do call an escort, however, said they
were happy with the service.
"I know I feel safe walking around campus at night, because I
use night escorts and the vans running at night are also very
helpful," said Elsa Trujillo, a second-year English student.
Crowded parking lots are not the only form of overcrowding that
affects student safety. On-campus housing has also been struggling
with accommodating a larger number of students, leading some to
question their own safety.
UCLA has a policy that every freshman who applies for on-campus
housing will receive it. This year, the policy created problems
when there wasn’t enough housing for the number of students
admitted.
Staff members said that they worry about the safety of campus
residents who currently live in cramped dorms.
"There have always been some residents who complain and can be
violent about living arrangements with only one roommate," said
Amaro.
"It’s a scary thought to imagine what dangers might rise with
residents who have been forced to share a room with more people
than they want," she said.
In the past, dorm residents who’ve complained about too much
noise found themselves in heated arguments.
"People are used to having their space, and when they do not
have it they become irritated and aggressive," Amaro said.
Even though some staff members worry about the safety of
students due to crowding, there are still many students who are
confident that their safety will not be at a greater risk than
usual.
Due to past crime history at UCLA, there have been several
programs created to further secure student safety on campus.
"We are definitely taking precautions to meet all the needs of
our students," said Suzanne Seplow, the south area director for the
Office of Residential Life.
She said that residential life offers roommate workshops to
prevent conflicts, and students are responsible for filling out a
roommate contract, to help with potential conflicts.
The WRC also offers free self defense classes, safety precaution
workshops and counseling to deal with stress.
"With overcrowding, it is more likely that students will be more
stressed, because they will not have any personal space to look at
their lives calmly. This may lead to aggressive fall-outs," Amaro
said.
"A university as big as UCLA can be a stressful environment. I
just hope students are informed and utilize the resources offered
to vent frustration constructively."
Others believe that having more students on campus will actually
assist in crime prevention.
"During orientation they warned us about crime on campus, but
after I started school and saw how many people there are I feel
pretty safe," said Michael Provenzale, a first-year history
major.
University Police Department (UCPD) representatives said that
safety precautions must always be taken, even though they claim
that the UCLA campus is in one of the safest areas in Los
Angeles.
"A large number of students is nothing new to the UCPD, hence
students should not be worried about their safety," said Nancy
Greenstein, director of community service.
UCPD claims that crowding only affects housing, and not campus
safety because there are always big crowds on campus.
Greenstein added, "But with a little extra attention, we could
prevent … mishaps and secure our safety."
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