Shane Wade
Opinion Editor
Let’s be frank VCU: it’s been a rough semester for all of us, particularly for VCU’s Public Relations department and the VCU Police. Try as they might, rampant crimes have left an indelible mark on both campuses.
In the past week, the Monroe Park area has had six armed robberies, a stabbing and a homicide. Earlier this month, we had a bomb threat. The surge in notable crimes couldn’t have come at a worse time for VCU. On Saturday, we’ll be having our Open House, an event where thousands of prospective families come to VCU to experience and learn more about the university where they’ll potentially be investing thousands of dollars.
It doesn’t matter how many of the suspects have been arrested; the stain remains. We can tell them that burglary’s down 88 percent since 2010 and that larceny’s down 7.6 percent compared to last semester, but numbers don’t matter to parents. Results do.
When prospective families come here this weekend and in the following weeks, the first question on their minds will be whether their child will be safe here.
Unfortunately, as good a job as our administration and police department can and have done to address and fight crime, it remains a stark reality of urban life, out of their direct control and left to the factors of desire, opportunity and availability. So long as those conditions exist, so will crime.
It’s not so much that we must accept our environment as we have to understand that the prevalence of crime that occurs within the vicinity of VCU is not a true reflection of the university.
This has been a recurring issue, despite the “unprecedented resources” VCU has funneled into security; we’ve got 92 police officers and private security patrol cars but that hasn’t proved to be enough to match Richmond’s criminal conditions. To that end, this isn’t a VCU problem so much as it is a Richmond problem.
Nothing I say will comfort students, current or prospective. Nothing the police can do, short of forming a police state around the campus, will absolutely prevent us from being vulnerable to crime. No amount of money VCU pours into security will keep us safe from the blunt nature of life.
That’s not to encourage students to somehow “get over” crime, accept complacency and be satiated with the response the administration has sent out to address the recent events. Challenge the status quo, but also recognize the inevitability of crime within a city environment.
Criticize VCU through your Facebook statuses and tweets, but this is a serious, endemic problem for the city. At the end of the day, we’re paying thousands of dollars to be here. That fact, among others, entitles us to a feeling of security, but it’s unfair to blame the administration for circumstances out of their control.
Take full advantage of the more than 326 Emergency Reporting Telephone System phones. Take full advantage of the Security Escort service. Register your bike and computer. Don’t travel alone at night. That’s really all we can do.