2008 Woodie Awards
Guest Column: Walk hard
Mardy Shualy
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Opinion
Students' representatives cannot just talk the talk - they must walk the walk. That's why I spent my Friday and Saturday nights, between midnight and 4 a.m., walking around the immediate off-campus area. I walked all the way down Knox Road and College Avenue, down to the College Park Metro Station, all the way to Dartmouth and Columbia Avenues. All too often the issue of safety is discussed glibly, with a reference to the many muggings and strong-arm robberies, followed by a vague promise to address the problem. Even more often, proposals to improve safety lack the first-hand perspective that is a basic prerequisite to understanding the situation.
On weekends, Route 1 is a whirlwind of activity, with police officers on constant patrol by the intersection of Knox Road and Route 1. Walk just a block past Route 1, however, and you will witness a dramatic transformation of traffic. There is little or no through traffic, and sparsely scattered pedestrian traffic. There were intersections where I stood for a full half hour without seeing a single police patrol. More students are being forced to live off campus every semester, and the houses on Knox and College avenues are attractive options. With a five-minute walk to the campus, they represent an affordable, accessible option that does not require a car, or even a bike.
Student safety must become a priority for this university, and it is the university's responsibility to ensure the safety of students being forced out of on-campus housing. The SGA hosts an annual "Safety Walk," in which administrators, SGA members and police officials patrol the campus at night, noting unsafe areas and collaborating to improve campus safety. This is no longer enough, and if elected president of the SGA, I promise to implement an annual Off-Campus Safety Walk, not only with administrators and police officials, but also with members of the College Park City Council.
The first step toward ensuring student safety is an increased police patrol presence in the immediate off-campus area. Just this week, the College Park City Council voted to double city spending on safety measures, which is a crucial first step. Simply having more individuals in uniform is, however, an incomplete answer. Students must fight to redirect policing styles and priorities. A number of students have expressed anger, reporting having been prejudicially targeted as minorities by local police officers.
The student voice must be loud, clear and unified in demanding equality of treatment by law-enforcement officers. Furthermore, students must demand a refocusing of police priorities, stressing safety rather than breaking up parties. These are achievable goals if a serious and persistent dialogue is established with police forces and with the city council. The NITE Ride shuttle service must have an expanded fleet of vans during times of heavy traffic so that students are not forced to wait in unsafe areas for extended periods of time. If the Terp Taxi service is to continue, it must be better advertised so that it can be better used.
Both the student body and the university must invest in strengthening our relationship with the surrounding community. Outreach must be pursued with a consistent and coordinated vision, and must tap not only into engaged student groups, but also into the vast amounts of applicable research undertaken at the university. We cannot afford to compromise on the issue of student safety, and it is readily apparent that the tactics relied upon in years past are simply insufficient. A vote for the HOUSE Party is a vote for creative, pragmatic solutions to a problem that demands nothing less.
Mardy Shualy is an arts and humanities legislator in the Student Government Association and is the presidential candidate of the HOUSE Party. He can be reached at mshualy@gmail.com.
On weekends, Route 1 is a whirlwind of activity, with police officers on constant patrol by the intersection of Knox Road and Route 1. Walk just a block past Route 1, however, and you will witness a dramatic transformation of traffic. There is little or no through traffic, and sparsely scattered pedestrian traffic. There were intersections where I stood for a full half hour without seeing a single police patrol. More students are being forced to live off campus every semester, and the houses on Knox and College avenues are attractive options. With a five-minute walk to the campus, they represent an affordable, accessible option that does not require a car, or even a bike.
Student safety must become a priority for this university, and it is the university's responsibility to ensure the safety of students being forced out of on-campus housing. The SGA hosts an annual "Safety Walk," in which administrators, SGA members and police officials patrol the campus at night, noting unsafe areas and collaborating to improve campus safety. This is no longer enough, and if elected president of the SGA, I promise to implement an annual Off-Campus Safety Walk, not only with administrators and police officials, but also with members of the College Park City Council.
The first step toward ensuring student safety is an increased police patrol presence in the immediate off-campus area. Just this week, the College Park City Council voted to double city spending on safety measures, which is a crucial first step. Simply having more individuals in uniform is, however, an incomplete answer. Students must fight to redirect policing styles and priorities. A number of students have expressed anger, reporting having been prejudicially targeted as minorities by local police officers.
The student voice must be loud, clear and unified in demanding equality of treatment by law-enforcement officers. Furthermore, students must demand a refocusing of police priorities, stressing safety rather than breaking up parties. These are achievable goals if a serious and persistent dialogue is established with police forces and with the city council. The NITE Ride shuttle service must have an expanded fleet of vans during times of heavy traffic so that students are not forced to wait in unsafe areas for extended periods of time. If the Terp Taxi service is to continue, it must be better advertised so that it can be better used.
Both the student body and the university must invest in strengthening our relationship with the surrounding community. Outreach must be pursued with a consistent and coordinated vision, and must tap not only into engaged student groups, but also into the vast amounts of applicable research undertaken at the university. We cannot afford to compromise on the issue of student safety, and it is readily apparent that the tactics relied upon in years past are simply insufficient. A vote for the HOUSE Party is a vote for creative, pragmatic solutions to a problem that demands nothing less.
Mardy Shualy is an arts and humanities legislator in the Student Government Association and is the presidential candidate of the HOUSE Party. He can be reached at mshualy@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
alum
posted 4/10/08 @ 10:09 AM EST
The cops justify congregating outside of the bars in case a fight happens, but do you really need the entire force to break up a fight? I think they just like the attention that they get from underage drunk girls. (Continued…)
Chelsea R
posted 4/11/08 @ 12:20 AM EST
You stood there for a full half hour without seeing a police car, because they were all up at the bars dealing with drunk idiots who can't handle their liquor, or silly little freshman in a north campus dorm room who are doing the same thing. (Continued…)
Dr Moshe Shualy
posted 4/13/08 @ 12:47 PM EST
All students deserve protection. Even if they are just naive high school graduates. This can be done. It must be done. Wisdom must be nurtured, it can't be force fed. (Continued…)
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