Jackie Heller already feels uncomfortable walking around campus alone in the early evening.
After hearing about the string of muggings and assaults last fall, the three assaults last Wednesday were no surprise to the Education junior.
“I try to stay in a group at night,” Heller said. “It may not guarantee that I won’t be assaulted, but it’s a lot safer.”
The most recent attacks on and around the Evanston campus, including a Sept. 15 assault on a Weinberg senior at Orrington Avenue and Emerson Street, are starting to cause worry among Northwestern students. Many women — and men — are finding themselves walking with a friend or in groups and being more aware of their surroundings.
University Police Asst. Chief Daniel McAleer said UP will install new emergency phones and call boxes by the end of this week. The call boxes will be placed at the corner of Foster Street and Maple Avenue, Maple Avenue and Emerson Street, at 1900 Orrington Ave. and near the University Library.
UP also is working with Escort Service, Facilities Management and Student Affairs to protect students. McAleer said campus police will increase staff in the communications center, allowing current officers to remain on street patrol.
Three new officers will join the 26 already on patrol after they complete training, he said.
NU also took initiative in making campus safer. The university installed cameras in the Engelhart Hall parking lot at Foster Street and Maple Avenue, an area where many students said they feel threatened.
There are more cars available for Escort Service and more shuttle times so students will not have to walk, according to a mass e-mail from the Office of Student Affairs.
Weinberg sophomore Ruby Sheikh said she feels safer this year because she has noticed more police officers patrolling where she walks.
Unlike last year, Sheikh said she is no longer afraid to travel alone. She said she feels UP has done a better job patrolling this year.
“I don’t need to carry pepper spray with me,” she said. “But I always have that suspicion with me.”
McCormick senior Ian Lesperance said he feels safe on campus and off campus. Walking to his apartment — located far from campus on Ridge Avenue and Davis Street — may mean a higher risk of being mugged, but he said being alert is enough of a precaution.
“The muggings are just a reality of living near a big city,” Lesperance said.
Communication freshman Kelsey Mesa said she only recently learned about the muggings. She had not heard of the violent crimes during her Preview NU trip earlier this year.
“I walked around alone and didn’t give any thought to that,” she said.
But in the past week, Mesa said she has made it a rule for herself to always walk with a group on her way back to Willard Residential College through the Sorority Quads.
McCormick freshman Hidenori Araki said he didn’t know of the assaults until he arrived at NU.
The muggings are typical of any college campus, Araki said. He said he is not afraid of being mugged but has noticed poor lighting.
“If there’s something that needs to be fixed to make the campus safer, it’s the lights,” he said.
Reach Stephanie Chen at [email protected].
The Daily’s Marissa Conrad contributed to this report.
near South Campus, make campus safer after recent attacks.
