The UCLA administration has sent out mass e-mails asking
students to vote, warning them not to download MP3s, and informing
them about Chancellor Albert Carnesale’s office hours.
But the administration failed to effectively communicate with
the student body following either of two recent shooting
incidents.
Two shootings in two weeks is unprecedented in recent UCLA and
Westwood history.
Students don’t know what is going on.
Neither shooting involved a UCLA student ““ the first was
the result of an apparent struggle between a university police
officer and a transient, and the second left a non-UCLA student
with an ankle wound. Neither event appears to have been the result
of premeditated violence.
Although the shootings do not likely represent a threat of more
violence in the future, UCLA officials should have done a better
job responding publically to reassure the community, reminding
students that safety is a number one university priority.
Instead, the campus administration and university police
released details slowly about the police shooting. The
administration also failed to visibly act to restore public
confidence in the level of safety.
Westwood and UCLA are safe environments, especially when
compared to the rest of Los Angeles. Students have come to expect
that they will be able to focus on their work and enjoy late night
activities without worrying about their personal safety. However,
reports of two high-profile crimes last year ““ an armed
robbery in the Saxon Residential Suites and an alleged rape in De
Neve ““ coupled with the recent shootings, could
understandably cause students to question the safety of the campus
area.
Because of these frightening incidents, the university must work
especially hard to address concerns about security. UCLA’s
administration has been inexplicably quiet. If the administration
remains silent after shootings, students and their families will be
understandably upset.
Students know the administration has the ability to easily
contact the student body. Campus-wide e-mails are sent on a regular
basis. Also, students regularly receive administrative notices via
a system built into the MyUCLA Web site.
A simple message showing how low campus crime is and reminding
students that they are generally safe could go a long way toward
reassuring concerned students. Moreover, an administrative reminder
about safety services such as Community Service Officer escorts and
late-running buses could help prevent future tragedies.
Furthermore, as a small, community-centered police department,
UCPD should work hard to establish a close relationship with the
people it protects. With inexpensive technologies such as Web sites
and e-mail, there should be a two-way communication between police
and the campus. Police should know when events like big, non-UCLA
parties are happening near campus, and students should be informed
and educated when the police notice an increase in crime or
dangerous behavior.
UCLA should not be a place where people worry about safety.
Thankfully, UCLA can still enjoy a remarkably safe community
compared to neighborhoods only miles away. But the campus must work
to ensure that remains true.