Dorms vs. Apartments…Who is safer?

[Editorial]

March 23, 2009

 “We are very concerned that our students off-campus receive the same protection as students on campus,” said Council Woman Goldie Wells at the community forum about off-campus security held March 16^th at A&T. After the recent killing of A&T student Dennis Hayle in February and Derek Hodge on April 26, 2008; the city of Greensboro and the university have been forced to address safety issues at student housing complexes in the city.

 The university, the city of Greensboro and student apartment complex representatives have admitted a breakdown in communication between themselves and students and are attempting to find ways to establish it. However, they are off to a slow start with hardly any students in attendance. And the only students present were members of the student government, newspaper and alumni. With the exception of a young woman who attends A&T.  She shared a frightening story about a home invasion.

 Greensboro and the A&T police department are working together and have established plans to help ensure the safety of students living in apartment complexes surrounding the university. But with boundary and jurisdiction issues a recurrent problem it is hard to imagine how much these two will accomplish together.

  With off-campus students scattered across Greensboro, what happens to students who live in apartments that do not surround the university? How will they benefit from a safety plan that is only targeted towards students living in areas that are in-close proximity to A&T? As it was pointed out my several people in the forum crime can happen anywhere, so why were these students overlooked.

 The most disturbing part of the forum was that no one addressed their thoughts on why so many students are moving off-campus. With over 10,000 students attending A&T and not enough housing to accommodate everyone; students are forced to seek other housing options.   In 2007 only 18 percent of students who attended A&T lived in on-campus housing.  How can they effectively protect the students residing off-campus without compromising the safety of on-campus residents when the majority of their students live off-campus?